


Celestial Siblings

by Crystalmoon101



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: AU, Adopted Sibling Relationship, Celestial Sibling AU, Corona Kingdom, Eventual Villain Death, F/M, Light angst here and there, Magic, Minor Violence, Moondrop | Moonstone Opal (Disney), Moonstone!Varian, Mother Gothel's Abuse, Movie rewrite, New Dream, Sibling Relationship, Stockholm Syndrome, Sundrop | Sundrop Flower (Disney), Sundrop!Rapunzel, The Dark Kingdom
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-13
Updated: 2020-06-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:48:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 22,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24694777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crystalmoon101/pseuds/Crystalmoon101
Summary: The story of two siblings, created through the celestial powers of the sun and moon. Throughout their many adventures, the pair have always been close. But what happens when, after they are reborn again, they don’t exactly remember who they are or why they’re here?
Relationships: Cassandra & Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider (Disney), Cassandra & Gothel (Disney: Tangled), Cassandra & Rapunzel (Disney: Tangled), Cassandra & Varian (Disney: Tangled), Edmund & Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider, Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider & Varian, Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel, Gothel & Rapunzel (Disney), Quirin & Varian (Disney), Rapunzel & Varian (Disney)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 111





	1. Sundrop

**Author's Note:**

> **This was just a fun idea I thought of after reading some other Tangled Fanfictions. I really liked the sibling relationship Varian and Rapunzel had, along with wanting to have some fun with the idea that is the Moonstone and the Sundrop.**
> 
> **This will mostly be a movie rewrite of sorts. I’ll try and make it different enough to stand out.**
> 
> **Also, the opening is supposed to come across like the movie’s opening, with narration, along with storybook style like Beauty and The Beast.**
> 
> **Also, while my Moon Varian is different, Ghosta-r (Cosmic Drifter) off of Tumblr is credited for the original idea of it, so check them out!  
>  \-----------------------------------------------------------------  
> Synopsis:  
> The story of two siblings, created the Celestial powers of the sun and moon. Throughout their many adventures, the pair have always been close. But what happens when, after they are reborn again, they don’t exactly remember who they are or why they’re here?  
> \-----------------------------------------------------------------  
> Characters:  
> Rapunzel  
> Gothel  
> Cassandra  
> \-----------------------------------------------------------------  
> Warning: Nothing too bad, other than Mother Gothel’s style of parenting.  
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Tangled!  
> \-----------------------------------------------------------------**

_The young dark prince cleared his throat, putting on his storyteller voice. “This is the story about how Cassandra nearly died that one time.” Eugene sighed so softly, yet so dramatically._

_**A tall, old and sturdy tower can be seen. Only a small line of sunlight hitting it, as it hides away in a hidden grove, deep within the woods of Corona. The waterfall behind it glimmered, its raging water blocking out the only other sound, being the small amount of wind flowing into the hideaway.** _

_Said woman piped up at hearing her name. “Seriously, that’s how you’re starting the story?” She scoffed, off to the side somewhere._

_“Hey, it needs to sound dramatic to hook people into the story.” The man defended, most certainly/probably raising his hands in defence._

_Another woman joined in, but with a much softer and heavenly voice. “I think magical powers from the sun and moon would be enough to intrigue people.” Rapunzel commented, a light giggle to her voice._

_A younger voice spoke up, obviously tired of the bickering already. “Just get back to the story, ‘Flynn.” Varian teased at the end, playing with the false name._

_The oldest member huffed. “I told you not to bring that up again.” Eugene grumbled, before quickly settling his voice back into story mode. “But, back to the story!”_

_**The sun began to shine a little brighter, but more in an illusion way. As if it’s your own vision was playing with you, instead of reality.** _

_**Brighter and brighter…** _

_**Then a flash, the imagery changing. A storybook style opening is shown.** _

_“Centuries ago, when humans started to rise and grow in culture, two drops of celestial magic found their way to earth.” The dark prince began to explain, his voice now following a rhyme, as if this is a tale he recits often._

_**Two beads of magic can be seen, falling fast towards earth. The moment they hit the ground, their power radiates across the sky.** _

_“One from the sun.” Rapunzel hummed._

_**The stone from the sun was a golden yellow, the surrounding area it laid in began to brighten by its presence. Particularly the plants, flowers blooming a ray of colours.** _

_“The other from the moon.” Varian whispered._

_**The stone from the moon was a pale blue, the surrounding area it laid in began to darken by its presence instead. Sharp rocks of its own design grew around it.** _

_“The Sundrop and the Moonstone, as they were commandingly labelled.” Eugene continued, adding on the needed information. “And from these drops of magic, two beings of divine power were born. You see, both stones decided to take the forms of humans, taking on the role to guide and protect the world around them over the years.”_

_**Following his words, the two artifacts of power began to glow brighter, a reaction to the world around them. It intensified as they took shape, growing in size.** _

_“The Sundrop would always take the form of a woman. A heavenly being of life and creation.” There was a sway in his voice, like he had a dreamy look on his lips._

_**The blessing of the sun took her form. Lightly tanned skin, markings of light and a dress made of the flowers around her. Yet her hair was the most striking feature. Flowing around her at an imaginative length, representing the blazing sun and its fire.** _

_“The Moonstone was the opposite. Always taking the form of a man. A mystic person of death and destruction.” His voice became a little quieter, as if he didn’t want to sound offensive to someone, but still had to speak the truth._

_**The gift from the moon took his form now. Pale skin that could be mistaken for snow, markings from the moonlight and a suit made of his own indestructible rocks, jagged out in intimidation. But, much like his sister, his hair was the most notable feature. Definitely not as long, but still with a radiate glow. Soft and round, representing the moon standing out in the night sky.** _

_“The two would always need each other, their sibling love for one another being a famous part of all their stories.” The man chuckled in a low volume, an all-knowing joy in his tone._

_**The celestial pair turned to each other, a deep gaze in their eyes. No words spoken, but they didn’t need them. Reaching out, they held each other’s hand, a silent promise through their gestures.** _

_“Now, here’s the thing. Every so often they would have to, in a way, be reborn. Either because their physical bodies were too old, thus needing to be ‘remade’. Or, they are killed through unnatural means, such as...murder.” He cleared his throat, mentioning the final word._

_**The pair keep flickering as they are reborn over and over again during the many years they have lived in this world. Their knowing features the same, but smaller details always changing. Perhaps in their heights one time, or a different shade of colours, something new could always be seen. And yet, they continued to hold hands, never forgetting their promise to each other.** _

_“But don’t worry! They originally kept their memories each time this happened, so they still knew each other and their roles.” Eugene piped back up, but there was a waver in his voice near the end._

_**The pair looked out at the lands before them, hills in the horizon, the sun setting behind them. Eyes full of wisdom and curiosity. So much left to learn, so much left to protect.** _

_“That was, until a certain battle.” He sighed, relaying the story in his head. He supposed this would be the drama to latch onto._

_**There’s a rip, and the page is torn in two. The Sundrop on one side, the Moonstone on the other. A looming shadow falling on the pair.** _

_“Many across these lands know of the story of Lord Demanitus and the treacherous demon Zhan Tiri. Both were one old friends, travelling the world for knowledge of both science and magic. Together, they did wondrous things.” He echoed out, voice losing its previous joking manner._

_**Two new figures appeared, both starting off as simple humans. One was a man, who was tall and burly. His dark hair was short, kept neat, but hidden under the hood of his signature cloak. He stood tall with pride, looking over the world, his mind exploring ideas on how to improve what he saw.** _

_**The other was a woman, opposite in many ways. Incredibly thin and lanky, hunched over a little. Her hair was flowing out, part of it in two distinct buns. Her ornate dress with shades of black and purple, innocent-looking over bows adding to the design. Her own eyes glared a little, deep-rooted anger and envy towards something.** _

_“That was, until Zhan Tiri drifted away, corrupting herself with magic and betrayed her old friend.” He disclosed, though sounding like he didn’t know the full story. Probably because he didn’t, he wasn’t there after all._

_**The background darkened around the woman, her skin and hair shifting colours to match her dress. She twirled around, staring at her hands as an inhuman grin washed over her face. Demonic horns began twisting around on her head, settling as she finally allowed the magic within to take her over.** _

_**Her friend turned around, horror etched across his face. He tried to plead, crying out to her, his hand reaching out to his old partner.** _

_**She simply laughed, flicking her wrist and a spark of powerful magic struck forward, a blinding light following.** _

_“Demanitus pleaded with the celestial siblings for help. And, upon seeing the horrendous mess that was the demon, they agreed. A war broke out, and a dark time was brought about. It’s a long and tragic story, which I won’t get into.” He emphasised the tone of his voice, desperately wanting to show the darkness that lays within history._

_**Demanitus stood before the two siblings, his left eye and eyebrow gone, replaced by a piece of metal attached to his skull. The injury didn’t slow him down however, showing his respect to the powerful entities with a bow as he spoke.** _

_**The Sundrop and Moonstone watched him, taking in his every word as they stood close to one another. Their eyes flicked up when they saw the demon in the distance, her power corrupting the land in a sickly green, her haunting laugh running up everyone’s spines.** _

_**With no words, the pair ran forward with Demanitus, their powers displaying their deep energy. Golden hair swirling to protect them, sharp black rocks jolting out of the ground to attack.** _

_**The demon caught sight of them, a foggy smirk at her lips.** _

_“Nearing the end of the fight, however, Zhan Tiri managed to revert the two siblings back into their original states, wielding their power for herself. She brought about havoc that you could only dream of in your nightmares.” He uttered the last sentence, thinking in himself what it must have looked like._

_**The demon displayed her wrists, the celestial stones bound to her, the familiar blue and yellow magic flowing up her arms. Unstable energy sparked wildly, but this villain didn’t care, choosing to unleash what she had on the world.** _

_**The old scientist watched from afar, a sorrowful look across his face as he watched the world around him fade, life draining away as his old friend snatched it.** _

_**But there was a glimmer of hope in his only eye, staring deeply at the two stones. He whispered to them from a distance, praying they could find a way.** _

_“Realising what they must do, the siblings broke themselves, meaning the demon could no longer use them. With the villain being weakened, along with the stones stolen back, Demanitus banished his old friend. Hopefully to never be seen again.” The prince recited, letting a little humour near the end, even if it sounded a little grim._

_**The siblings looked to each other through the stones that they were trapped as. Eyes of understandment were all they needed, offering final words of endearment, before closing their eyes and shattering themselves on the inside.** _

_**Zhan Tiri felt herself falter, the drops of magic leaving her as she collapsed. Her eyes shone with confusion and fear. She was so close, what had happened?** _

_**But she had no time to recover, her old friend making his way to her with a device. Anger grew in her voice, showing her hatred of the man, even if some of her words betrayed her.** _

_**As she berated him, he didn’t say a word. Setting up his machine, he flipped a switch, a cold looked across his face. He ignored her screams of promised revenge as she was pulled into the portal, vanishing to the unknown world.** _

_**He was left alone to look across the battlefield, seeing what they lost to win.** _

_“Even though they won, they suffered from the sacrifice that the two powerful guardians were badly damaged. Not dead, but they would require much more time to be reborn this time around, most likely some parts of them forever unfixable.” He said, deep respect in his voice when describing their battle wounds._

_**The old scientist collected the broken stones, watching how their glowing lights fluctuated, sparking in pain. His hold was gentle, pulling them close as he murmured his apologies to them.** _

_**How could he have been blind? How could he have turned his back on his friend so long ago? Maybe it was all his fault, maybe he could have been better...** _

_“There was also another problem brought up. The fact that someone managed to use their powers for evil, causing so much pain and carnage that history has never seen before, it scared people. So a plan was made, a promise to keep the two stones safe, but away from each other.” He began with a sterner voice, a little bitter even._

_**Groups of humans surrounded the two stones, weary after all they saw. Only fear was in their gazes, unsure of how to view their once beloved heroes, guardians.** _

_**The few leaders among them all stepped forward, already bringing up plans on where to go next, after all that happened.** _

_“The Sundrop had been taken to the shorelines, a new kingdom forming around the stone to watch over it, named Corona. A bright and colourful place, huh?” Eugene hummed, having appreciated a place opposite to his home._

_**Resting in the middle of the island, the blessing of the sun laid around as a kingdom grew around it, hiding it away deep within the castle walls.** _

_**The palace and buildings around it held hues of white, yellow and purple, hints of sky blue too. A long bridge led to the city, people coming in and out all the time. It seemed like a celebration was held almost every day.** _

_**And deep in its chambers, flowers bloomed and vines curled around the room where the Sundrop rested, waiting patiently.** _

_“On the other side of things, the Moonstone was taken deep into the mountains, with its own kingdom to protect it being formed, simply titled ‘The Dark Kingdom’. Catchy, right?” The dark prince simpered, most likely rolling his eyes._

_**The gift of the moon rested on the hill, dark stone walls building around it to form the kingdom. The stone was held in the centre, away from the outside world.** _

_**Unlike Corona, hues of darkness and blues was all that was seen, only lights from dim torching adding any other colours. Large gates and walls bared the city, keeping troublesome outsiders away, while protecting the people who kept the secret in. A place of whispers that rarely opened up.** _

_**Within the centre, the Moonstone designed its own room with its rocks, spiking up all over the place. Roof, walls and the floor, with a simple bridge leading to the prize in the middle.** _

_“As expected, the stones took longer to recover, many generations in fact. But the time did come when they regained their physical forms. So, why don’t we take a look at when the Sundrop was reborn? As she is always first to come back.” His hands could be heard clasping together, finally through the first major backstory._

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

The tower from before reappears, but something about it seems different. The vines have not quite reached the top yet, fewer cracks and dents around the stone walls. The surrounding grove was still relatively the same, though not as vibrant with its floral. 

That’s because a certain figure has not been taken yet, trapped away for eighteen years. Without her light, the nature surrounding it was a normal mossy green. But that didn’t mean no one was around, far from it. 

The owner had taken up residence many years ago, living in this construct since the fall of the celestial siblings, but none would ever be able to guess her real age just by looking at her half the time. Altering every so often, some days her hair was as dark as a raven’s feather, other times it was a shimmering silver. 

Said owner could be seen through the large open window at the very top, fixing up her currently grey hair into place, along with tying at a knot to secure her robe. Standing in front of the mirror, Gothel brushed a hand across her wrinkled cheeks with a distasteful frown. 

She needed to make another trip to the castle, a normal routine every month or so. She didn’t care about Corona, but rather the little secret they hid away, the very thing that always fixed this little problem of hers. 

Ever since she came to live in this place, she’s always had a plan. Bring back her youth, flaunt it around and receive praise from all the strangers she’s passed by, before heading back to the underground castle chambers to restart the cycle. Unfortunately, these past four years added a little something to her life, one she brought about on a mistake one drunken night. Oh, how she wished she didn’t keep the unwanted gift in the end.

She was reminded of it when a little voice spoke out, entering the room from the stairs that lead to the bedrooms. The tiny pitter-patter of young feet heading her way.

“Mama?” A young, sweet but naive little Cassandra shuffled over towards her mother, clutching her precious music box.

Gothel bit her tongue momentarily, not bothering to put on any display of false gentleness. “Not now dear, I need to head out.” She waved at her daughter thoughtlessly, her body growing too tired to care as each second passed.

Fixing her hood up, the older woman began to make her way to the other staircase, this one leading to the bottom of the tower. Their home was decent enough to live in, but Gothel wished she picked a place with so few stairs. 

Used to her mother’s dismissal of her, the little girl followed behind her with a curious look in her eyes. She knew vaguely what was going to happen today. Her mother would vanish for a few hours, before coming back near dusk, looking young once more. Cassandra wasn’t sure how that worked, as she was ninety percent sure that humans couldn’t de-age, at least from what she knew from the four years she’s lived. 

Reaching out a little, she caught her mother’s attention. “Can I come?” Cass innocently asked, big hazel eyes looking up.

Twirling around in a harsh flick, Gothel waved her hand. “Heaven no, it’s a personal matter.” She emphasized a little by resting her hand on her chest. 

Cassandra faltered, pressing her ankles together as she looked away, ashamed to have asked such a question. But as she saw her mother about to vanish down the stairs, she suddenly remembered the little box in her arms.

“Mama.” The little girl squeaked, holding up her music box as high as her little arms could hold it.

Her mother stopped, eyeing the device before giving her child a look. She didn’t have time for this, more so that she didn’t want to. But, she did have to keep her little girl somewhat pleased to keep her under her thumb. 

Shaking her head a little, the old woman began bending down. “Must I do everything around here?” She slipped the box into her own grip, quickly twisting the knob on the side. The moment rotation was done, a gentle and soothing melody began to play. “There. Now make sure the tower is clean when I come back.” She handed it back to the girl’s grasping and eager hands, a light chide in her voice. 

Cassandra didn’t seem to notice the tone, or at least was too used to it. She simply hugged the box close, relaxing to the music. “Yes, love you mama.” She beamed at her mother, giving a white grin.

Satisfied that she could finally go, Gothel did offer a soft smile for once. “Love you too, dearie.” And with that, she made her way down the stairs, the faint music and child’s humming vanishing the further she walked.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

It paid to be an old friend of Demantius, even if she was just a spy for the demon. She had a large amount of knowledge surrounding a lot of things that old scientist built. It’s why she knew so much already about a certain drop of sun magic, along with the palace built around it to protect it.

She knew of the abandoned tunnels, an old escape route that Lord Demantius tried building, but that project was long forgotten some time around his death. Gothel, however, she never forgot, and it was an easy way to get what she wanted. It was laughable how simple it was to walk past all the systems in place to keep people like her out. You could say a lot about Corona, but their security was awful, despite what they were supposed to guard.

So, as she casually walked down the dark tunnel, only supported by the cobblestone man-made walls, the old woman held out her lantern, which shone a disturbing and unnatural green. She made no noise, not bothering to watch her step as she was so familiar with the path. Nothing changed, beyond the build-up of more spider webs or the occasional leaks of water. 

She knew she was at her destination when, through the cracks of the stone wall, golden lights beamed through. Placing her lantern down on the mossy ground, Gothel began slipping out pieces of stone. This was the only hard part, making her wish that her old mentor had at least finished putting in a door or something before he died. But she had to make do with what she had.

Thankfully, the stones were large in size, meaning she didn’t need to move too many before getting a big enough hole to simply crawl through. She didn’t care about guards being in the room, for she learned long ago that they didn’t stand in this room, as if scared to be in the presence of the Sundrop. She could understand if it was its counterpart, which she knew personally would send shivers up your spine and make you feel sickly, but the magic of the sun was nothing like that. Again, she only mused to herself that Corona was a pathetic place, too soft for its own good.

Sliding in through the gap she made, she took a moment to brush off the dirt and moss clinging to her dress, a light frown twitching at her lips. She hated to get dirty, but it was the price to pay for something so gifting. 

Bringing her eyes up, she took a moment to examine the room like normal. The stone walls were painted a creamy white, mostly hidden behind all the vines, moss and flowers that covered the place. Life beamed in them, holding the brightest of colours through the many petals that could be seen. The ground was pure dirt, thick yet tender grass sprouting up all over the floor. But what would always catch the eye was in the centre. 

There bloomed a glorious flower, its petals multiple shades of yellow, with hints of orange and pink closer to the centre. Purple highlights being the only dark colour seen on it, contrasting from the warmer shades. Inside it is what Gothel really wanted, though. The glowing filaments of the plant coiled around a stone of lustrous yellow.

An all-knowing smirk painted her red lips. Pulling her dress up a little so she could make her way through the grass, she began to walk over. “Ah, there you are. Still as powerful as ever.” She chirped, real joy on her face for once. A greedy look in her eyes.

When she finally made her way over, she began to kneel down and clear her voice. She knew she couldn’t stay for long, or be too loud, but the experience was always so wonderful to go through, over and over again.

Settling to her knees, she took in a deep breath and hummed lightly. “Flower, gleam-.”

She didn’t get far, however, cutting herself off when the stone began glowing intensely. It put her off, as she had barely gotten two words of the incantation out, so why was it’s magic so vividly powering up. 

A touch of fear gripped at her throat, making her shuffled back a little. Maybe this little thing finally knew what she was doing, or maybe someone had set a trap for her. Despite her careless attitude, this woman knew things like this were not to be played with.

But, before she could pull herself to her knees, the flower cradling the stone began to glow in response, growing in size and changing shape, as if to carry something a little bigger. The Sundrop itself followed in the same path, its blinding light taking a new form, something that looked far different than what it was before.

It was then that the old witch knew what was going on. A rare event that she had not seen for herself. For a moment, she didn’t know how to react, but knew she had to stay and see the results. And as the stone took on a new form, a sly smirk twitched at her lips.

When the intense glowing faded to a reasonable amount of light, the flower shifted in weight, carrying something a little heavier now. A new noise appeared, the sound of quiet giggle that could melt any heart, as tiny hands reached out of the flower.

Tilting her head lightly, Gothel shuffled forward again, peering her head forward. Inside the flower, cradled by its petals, a young, mythical looking baby rested inside. Despite only looking a few weeks old, a large amount of hair swirled around the top of the little girl, looking like the blazing sun in the sky. Dots of golden freckles across her body, shining curled markings around her eyes, contrasting her decently tanned skin. A light amount of emerald green vines coiled around her wrists and ankles. And the little baby’s eyes were inhuman, no iris, no white and no pupil, just pure golden yellow, beaming with magic and life.

The moment the baby spotted the woman, she let out a burst of bubbling laughter, as if everything she saw was funny. Clapping her hands with no coordination, she began reaching for Gothel, eager for contact.

“My, my, what do we have here?” The witch fondly smiled, allowing herself to hover her hand out in the baby’s reach.

The little Sundrop grasped one of her fingers, cooing in excitement. Her hair responded too, strains of it wrapping around the older woman’s hand in a gentle grip. The small contact was enough for Gothel to already feel the warm, yet strikingly powerful life magic resonating in the child.

But now this provided a new problem. The moment the Kingdom learns of the child’s presence, she’ll be taken away from these chambers. Even if the guards and security were awful, they could provide too much trouble now that the Sundrop was reborn. Plus, once the child was old enough, they would be able to warn her of people like Gothel. 

There was only one clear option, even if the vainful side of her didn’t want to dedicate her life to raising two children. Pulling her hand away, she slipped a hand into her satchel. 

With the loss of physical contact, the little baby pouted, for once showing some kind of negative emotion. A light whimper passed through her young lips and she reached out for the woman again.

Gothel took out a decently sized cloth, eyes flicking back to the child. She knew very well the signs of when a baby would begin crying, and she couldn’t afford such a noise right now. 

Taking the cloth in both her hands, she started folding it around the baby, not caring for the damage she might cause to the flower holding her. “Shhh, little flower. I will make sure this little ability of yours is well used.” She whispered, having had enough practice to put on such a gentle voice.

Grateful for the contact, along with how soft the blanket was, the little Sundrop settled easily. She chortled, her tongue sticking out occasionally. Of course, she didn’t understand anything the woman said, but she didn’t care, happily blissful to what was happening. 

Making sure the child was secure, Gothel brought her close to her chest. She noted how that flower from before stopped glowing, going a little limp without the child’s presence. It served its purpose, and she knew the other plant life in this would follow in tow the moment they left.

But, again, she didn’t care. With a good grip on the precious bundle in her arms, she made her way to the hole. Briefly, she contemplated what to do with the rocks and entrance. But, seeing as she wasted enough time as it is, along with never needing to come back here, she left it be. It would be a fun reminder to Corona to realise just how dense they were. 

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Two guards stood by the door, barely speaking to one another. It was well known that, despite being told they were protecting a powerful artifact, this was one of the most boring jobs in the palace. Underground, no windows and no source of entertainment, only a long narrow hall, stairs leading up on one end, a gold plated door covered in intricate symbols on the other end. There were a couple of torches, but the magical glow seeping out from between the cracks of the door provided its own light.

The guard on the left let out a quiet huff, having finished his game of counting the cracks in the roof. Biting his lip, he briefly looked over to his co-worker. The other man in uniform didn’t take notice of him, instead staring down the hall with a dead expression in his eyes.

But the guard stared at the other man, his eyes caught a change in the lighting. Frowning, he looked down to see the yellow light from the room behind them begin to fade. At first, he thought it was a trick of the eyes, but that deep worry began to crawl up his spine.

The other guard seemed to finally notice as well, looking down before flicking his gaze back up in a perplexed expression. Both seemed to know something was wrong, yet they didn’t know how to proceed.

Together, their eyes trailed to the door. It was forbidden to enter the room, unless, of course, there was an emergency. Does a suspicious feeling count?

The first guard bit his tongue, gripping his halberd as he looked to his co-worker. They had a silent conversation, a couple of facial gestures tossed around. They both finally settled on him taking a quick peek, and if it was nothing, they wouldn’t tell anyone else. It was for a good reason, right?

Shuffling in front of the door, the man swallowed. He had only heard tales of what rested behind this seal. He himself wasn’t sure if they were real, but something about the unknown did scare him. 

Taking a sharp breath, he twisted off the keyless lock, taking hold of the door handles and cracked it open, peering in. He noted all the floral around the room, surprised to see what could grow down here. But something seemed off about it all, like whatever magic that brought the life here was gone.

It was then that he realised, no Sundrop could be seen. “Oh no…”

The other guard peered in, his eyes widening in horror. Both of them jumped into the room, not caring for their previous fears of defying orders. They were ready to search each nook or cranny, when they spotted the obvious hold in the wall, leading to a dark tunnel. 

The second guard swallowed, hard. Gripping his weapon tight, he flicked his head to the other man. “Inform the King and Queen, now!” He spouted.

The other man didn't think twice, already dashing out of the room to find help. The guard left behind raced to the hole, peering into it. He hoped that maybe he could see someone, an explanation as to what was happening. But all he saw the darkness, even if he swore he heard the faint laughter of a child.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Up in the tower, as the sun began setting, little Cassandra swept and swept, the broom twice her size as she paced around the floor. It always took a long time for someone her size to clean a place this big. Even then, there were areas that the little girl could never reach to clean. But, despite the light throbbing pain in her hands, she worked to please her mother.

Because she loved mother, and mother loved her. They only had each other, and while Gothel seemed to thrive in isolation, Cassandra was a lot more desperate for contact. She only had the older woman to go. 

As she crossed the large open window, she paused and stared out. The stars were starting to fade into view, the night blanketing the sky. Even if she wished to be with more people, she had to admit that the view out here was always pleasant to see. 

Her eyes twinkled when she saw what must have been a shooting star. Lighting up, she rushed over and leaned on the windowsill, resting her elbows on it as she held her chubby cheeks. Her dark eyes glimmered with joy, remembering all those fairy tale stories her mother would sometimes read. Including the ones that talk about wishing on a star. And, seeing as she just saw one, she closed her eyes and scrunched up her nose to make a wish.

Since she had just been dwelling in her loneliness before, she, of course, like many young kids, wished for a friend. Someone to be there when her mother wasn’t, someone to have a special place in her heart.

But her thoughtful daydream came to an end, hearing the stomping hooves of a familiar horse. Looking down, she saw Fidella, carrying her mother into the grove. 

Feeling excitement bubbling in her, Cassandra made her way to the bottom of the tower, nearly tripping down the stairs a few times. Her mother would be young again, which normally meant she would be a little bit nicer to Cass. Maybe she could read a book to her tonight?

Hearing the old wooden door creak open, the little girl hopped down the final stairs and saw her mother slipping inside, her hood still up as she clutched an unknown bundle close.

“Mama!” Cassandra resounded, skipping towards Gothel.

The older woman didn’t seem to hear her, instead, pulling the bundle up closer and she flipped her hood off. The daughter stopped in her stride, noting that her mother was still old looking, her silver hair reflecting the light coming off the small number of candles in the room.

“Mama?...” The little girl piped up again, cautiously reaching out and tugging at her mother’s dress.

That seemed to make Gothel remember that she had another child to deal with. But her eyes were still fixated on the fidgeting bundle. Light gurgles followed by the occasional giggles could be heard in the woman’s arms. 

Waving her hand at her blood daughter, she shuffled forward towards the stairs. “Shush, Cassandra, mama needs to take care of something important.”

Stumbling a little, Cassandra held her hands close, a twinge of hurt in her eyes. But she repeated in her head that mother loved her, she just seemed to have found something important. 

Allowing curiosity to take control, instead of the thought of her mother dismissing her, she followed behind the older woman. Maybe she brought gifts? No, it was making strange noises and moving, maybe a pet? But even that was a fair stretch, she knew Gothel wasn’t fond of animals. The only reason they kept Fidella around was because she was useful.

When they reached the top of the tower, Cassandra hovered by the stairs, watching as her mother took her seat. The woman took a moment to relate, letting out a quiet breath. She was sure no one would have been able to follow her, but she still had to be careful on her way back home, which was exhausting. However, now that she was home, she could deal with the problem at hand, or rather, the blessing at hand. 

Cassandra tilted her head, seeing her mother give a genuine smile she saved for the rarest of occasions. Her curiosity grew more, so she pulled away from the stairs and made her way over. Seeing as her mother had no problem with her coming closer, the little girl took it as a sign she was allowed to see what the older woman was cradling.

Pulling herself onto the couch right next to Gothel’s chair, she hopped over to the armchair and lean on it, straining to get a view of the bundle. That’s when she realised that the clump of cloth was, indeed, glowing. More so that the being in the cloth was glowing. 

She saw another little girl, much smaller than herself, with golden hair that hovered around, displaying the magic within the child. Her sunset coloured eyes locked onto Cass’s hazel eyes. At the sight of another person, the baby threw her arms in the air, letting out another wail of giggles. 

Blinking, Cass pulled her head back a little, not sure how to feel about what she was seeing. “What is that?...”

Finally taking her eyes away from the sunlight child, she turned her head to her daughter. A quick lie easily slipping out of her lips. “This, my dear, is your new little sister.”

That caught Cassandra’s attention, her eyes snapping up at her mother. “Sister?”

Gothel gave a simple nod, looking back at the baby as she pulled back the cloth a little. “A very special sister.”

That was easy for older of the two little girls to notice, normal people don’t look like that. Then again, Cassandra didn’t know what this baby could do, so she began leaning in a little closer.

“Special how?” She queried, vaguely noting the strange warmth she was beginning to feel. 

The older woman pursed her lips. She debated whether or not to show her daughter the truth. Her eyes glanced around the room, focusing on nothing as she thought, until she caught herself in the mirror. It was then that she remembered how she looked. Brushing a strain of curly hair off her face, she turned back to Cassandra, her lips jerking into a confident smirk.

“Here, let me show you.” She said, straightening in her chair.

Cassandra watched as her mother pulled back more of the cloth, allowing the baby’s blaring hair to finally be free. All strains swirling in different directions, reacting to however the baby was feeling. The daughter found herself gasping a little, hands hovering over her mouth. Then her mother caught her attention, surprising the two children as she began to sing.

“Flower, gleam and glow. Let your power shine.” Gothel began, her voice raspy from age.

Immediately, the baby’s hair reacted. Strains curled around the hands holding the baby, shining in a brighter radiance as the magic began to channel its life energy into the woman. The baby stopped giggling, instead choosing to watch the woman sing to her, a look that seemed to suggest that maybe she knew what was going on.

“Make the clock reverse. Bring back what once was mine.” Her voice started to sound clearer, younger, matching how her hair and skin were changing.

Cassandra’s gaze flickered between the two, one moment watching how rays of light shined off the baby, her hair and marking glowing an intense golden yellow, the next moment seeing how her mother began to revert back to her more common self, a flush coming back to Gothel’s cheeks and hair regressing to its rich black curls.

“Heal what has been hurt. Change the Fates' design. Save what has been lost. Bring back what once was mine.” Gothel opened her eyes, feeling how her body reversed in time, bringing back her wonderful youth. Again, she displayed another genuine smile.

Throughout the singing, the baby was calm, never uttering a sound. She seemed to relax to the song, each word so familiar. It all seemed to come so naturally, even if she didn’t actually understand why.

“What once was mine…” And with that, the mother was finished, her final words echoing in the room.

The hair began to settle, pulling away from Gothel and rested back above the baby’s head, continuing the flow and the glowing faded a little, still luminous, but not quite as blinding. The little girl it was attached to simpled yawned, tired from her few hours of a new life, snuggling into the cloth again.

Cassandra, on the other hand, felt a jolt of excitement. She now understands what this newcomer could do and how her mother looked so beautiful. And the idea that this was her new sister made her mentally thank the stars above. She got what she wanted.

“She’s magical.” She exulted, pointing out the obvious as any other child would.

Gothel took note of her joy, seeing no need to worry on how Cassandra would feel about the baby. But, this can also give her something else to do with her blood daughter. “Yes, and we must protect her. The dangerous people of this world would abuse her for what she can do.” 

Hopping on the spot, Cass gave a determined look. “I promise to protect her, mama!”

Her eyes quickly looked back at the sleeping bundle, eyes fixated on the glowing hair again as she rested against the plush armchair. Her mother seemed satisfied, already making new plans on how to adjust their life. 

The woman’s eyes landed back on the Sundrop. “Good…” 

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

_“I know what you must be thinking. Mother Gothel is bad news. And I can full-heartedly agree.” Eugene snorted._

_And now present Cassandra retorted. “You didn’t spend years living with her.” She huffed out._

_“The fact she managed to piss me off in a couple of days should still show how much of a witch she was.” The man pointed out, lingering bitterness in his words._

_As his sister could be heard snickering, Varian spoke up to remind them. “We’re getting sidetracked again.”_

_Eugene chuffed a quiet chuckle. “Right, right. So let’s get to your part. The Moonstone though, for some reason, is always reborn four years after the Sundrop. So let’s skip a few years and take a look at the day he came to be. Along with meeting the real hero of the story.”_

_“Eugeneeee.” Rapunzel teased, most likely giving him a look._

_“I’m kidding, I’m kidding.” The man joked, already preparing for his next choice of words._

.


	2. Moonstone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After seeing the rebirth of the Sundrop, we skip a few years to when the Moondrop was reborn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **I want to express that in this AU, the Dark Kingdom isn’t that bad compared to what happened to it in the show. Still a strange place, but functional, given the Moonstone is a sentient being this time around.**
> 
> **This does mean that Eugene is the dark prince and his mother is alive. I’m like to say that I am not calling him Horace, I’m sorry, but I just can’t. I also gave his mother a made-up name and personality since we got nothing about her, so I hope that’s alright.**
> 
> **That’s all for now, so let’s move onto little Moonstone Varian**
> 
> **\-----------------------------------------------------------------  
>  Characters:  
> Varian  
> Eugene  
> King Edmund  
> ‘Queen Bruna’ (Eugene’s Mother)  
> Quirin  
> Adira  
> Hector  
> \-----------------------------------------------------------------  
> Warning: None! A clean chapter.  
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Tangled!  
> \-----------------------------------------------------------------**

Four years later...

The Dark Kingdom was, to put it simply, the opposite of Corona in every way. They took things a lot more seriously, presenting themselves as an entire stronghold, dedicated to protecting what was inside. Unlike the sunshine Kingdom, which relied mostly on trades and fishing, the Dark Kingdom mostly took care of themselves, but, given they lived around a valley full of caves, they had decent mining district, either using or selling off the precious ores they discovered.

Reflecting its name, bright colours were hardly ever used. Instead, dark stones, mostly black and ashy silver, were used in all their buildings. Electric blue highlights popped out against the dim design. The only warm colour seen was produced by the torches hovering around the streets and buildings. 

The citizens fit their home. Often being quiet, but stubborn people. Many were fine with their lifestyle out here, accepting the harsh imagine they gave off to the rest of the world. And, in some ways, it was relaxing to be cut off from the world. It was rare for outside forces to try and disturb the Kingdom, for these people knew how to be dangerous. 

Of course, all of this centred around the Moonstone, whose presence lingered throughout the city. Its black rocks stuck out everywhere, but weren’t threatening anyone. They rarely reacted, only occasionally sprouting up a new batch every few years or so, or sometimes glowing at random, more often than not because of something like a blood or super moon. Even if they were somewhat of a hassle to live around, they did do an excellent job of scaring most outside threats.

The main castle, home to the royals, was a spiral of a tower, casting a shadow over the nearby plains. King Edmund, along with his wife and son, commanded the Kingdom currently, while a group called the Brotherhood stood in their shadows, watchful eyes on everything.

Said King was making his way to the Throne room, for he was planning to have a conversion with one of the mining groups. He wasn’t sure why, but they did mention they wanted to inform him of some interesting news.

But just as he made it to the gigantic obsidian shaded doors, his eyes fell upon his beautiful wife. Queen Bruna was quite the woman. Half her husband’s size, sharp cheekbones and chin, with gorgeous locks of wavy brown hair. That being said, she knew how to command respect, standing in her royalty role like a perfect fit. She didn’t need to be yelling or striking with a blade to cast fear into the enemy’s eyes, one cold glance from her was more than enough. However, she was fair and always willing to listen to her people, someone who Edmund could always go to for a second opinion.

Right now though, the Queen looked around, shuffling her feet across the floor quickly, doing her best not to trip on the end of her long black and purple dress. Her eyes darted around, noting everything as she looked for a certain someone.

When she finally noticed her husband, she made her way over. Confused and little worried, he waited for her, perplexed what had her frazzled. 

Bruna lifted her head, having to bend her neck back to stare into her husband’s eyes. “Darling, have you seen Eugene?”

The man blinked. “I thought he went with you to do some cooking lessons.”

Biting her lip, she looked away as she mumbled to herself. “I turned away for one moment, and he was gone.” Sighing, she brushed a strain of hair back into place, giving her husband a knowing look. “I love that boy, but he is going to give me grey hairs soon.”

Edmund gave her a soft look. Sadly, they were both used to this, as their son was well known to sneak away, looking for adventure where ever he could find it in this city, often ending up in danger. 

As his wife was about to leave, while he planned to begin a search with the guards, they heard grunting and arguing echoing down the hall. From the sounds of it, someone rather young was complaining, a lot, while the older voice kept telling them to follow and stop talking.

As the voices rounded the corner, the pair saw their eleven-year-old son, Prince Eugene, being dragged over by a guard. The boy occasionally tried tugging away, but he knew it was no use when a full-armoured man had a good grip on the back of his shirt. So he just kept badgering on about how the guy was a killjoy. 

That was until he saw his parents. Biting his lip and looking away, he briefly pretended that he didn’t notice them. But he looked back when he heard his father sigh, both of them not surprised by the sight in front of them. Eugene looked to his mother, giving a sheepish smile. She returned with a raised brow. 

The guard in onyx coloured armour stopped in front of them, straightening his posture in respect. “Your majesties!” He released the boy’s shirt. “I found him and his little street friend harassing the livestock again!”

Shuffling away from the guard, the young prince huffed and crossed his arms. He hated how, despite being royalty, the guards could just dragging him like that. Mind you, they never hurt him, just treated him like a toddler that needed to be taken out of the room because he was crying. He hated it, being treated like a baby, along with the fact his parents allowed it.

“Hey, that chicken shouldn’t have looked at me funny.” He tried defending himself, a light joking manner in his voice.

“Eugene…” Bruna warned, not liking her son’s tone.

Immediately, the boy faltered. As rambunctious as he was, his parents held power over him, both because of love and respect for them. While his dad sometimes struggles or says the wrong thing, his mother always had this way of keeping him in line whenever she spoke. It was one of the reasons he looked up to her, along with being mildly scared of her.

“Hehe...sorry?” He offered, shrugging his shoulder softly.

Bruna shook her head side to side, already thinking back to all their past arguments about the same thing. “We’ve talked about this over and over again. You can’t be doing things like this. You’re behaving like an up and coming street thug.” She looked down at Eugene, pressing her concerns forward.

Edmund began kneeling down, reaching out his hand to rest on his boy’s shoulder. It was somewhat strange to look at, as the man still towered over his son, even at this height. But it was the best he could do to come off as a lot softer.

“And I know you’re fond of this Lance boy, but he’s not a good role model.” The King listlessly repeated for the second time this week.

Eugene’s crisp brown eyes wandered to the stone ground. He never wanted to annoy his parents, it was always a byproduct of his mischievous adventures with Lance. Unlike most members of the Dark Kingdom, he was a lot more bombastic, itching to see the world and become something more than a prince.

Don’t get him wrong, his home was intriguing, especially with what they were hiding. But there was only so much darkness and broodiness he could take. He never felt like the royalty role was what he wanted.

But, of course, that had been hard to convey to his parents. They were the opposite, shining in their positions, while he was struggling to figure out if this is all he’ll ever be. He loved them, that was no secret, but he was intimidated by the pair, and felt like his argument had no grounds to speak off of. 

He flicked his eyes back to his father. “We were just having a little bit of fun, like the tales of Flynn Ryder!” He uncrossed his arms, gesturing to nothing in particular. 

Edmund tilted his head lightly, an unreadable expression across his face. He was clearly thinking, most likely about what to say next. Bruna didn’t speak, allowing the father and son to have a moment. Plus, she didn’t know much about those stories, unlike the King.

Edmund spoke up again, his voice lecturing the boy, but in a respectable manner. “And I’m as big of a fan of those books as you are, but you need to keep yourself grounded in reality-.”

Sadly, he didn’t get to finish his little speech about the rights and wrongs of his son, as the room began to shake a little. Surprised, the family, along with the guard from before, lowered themselves or hovered near the walls. Looking around, it became apparent that it wasn’t just the room shaking, but probably the entire castle, maybe even the Kingdom. 

Eugene gasped, subconsciously gripping onto his father’s fur cloak for support. The man placed a hand on the floor, keeping him steady, while the other was still rested on his son’s shoulders. Bruna positioned her hands on the wall, eyes darting around in worry and confusion. 

It was then that the black rocks, that littered the sides of the hall and roof, began to glow softly. Magic hummed through them, making a strange noticeable buzzing sound. Their light reflected off the dark walls, outshining the hallway torches. Before anyone could react beyond a facial expression, the rocks began to retreat into the ground.

Thankfully, they had been smart and built the tower in a way so that, if the rock ever did vanish, it could still be supported on its own, so there was no fear of the castle collapsing. That being said, they had no idea what was going on, or where the rocks were going. Something like this had never happened in the entire history of the Dark Kingdom being a thing. As mentioned before, the rocks would sprout up at random, but not once did they ever retreat into the earth. 

As the black stones vanished, so did the glowing and shakes. When they could stand safely, Edmund rose to his feet and looked over his family. No one was injured, thankfully, just extremely puzzled. 

Bruna slid over to her husband’s side, looking up at him with an arched eyebrow. “What on earth?”

He wasn’t sure what to tell her, and it appeared she to understood that. Both had no idea on what just happened. Eugene darted his head around, seeing no signs of the rocks, before looking at his parents with the same confounded expression.

That when it clicked. The only thing that could make the rocks react in such a way, would be because of a particular celestial stone. The prince was the first to figure this out, surprisingly, and his previous fears were immediately subsided by excitement. 

Bounding away from his father’s side, Eugene sprinted down the hall. “It must be the Moonstone!” He exclaimed out.

Bruna and Edmund flicked around, both realising the same thing as their child. A brief glimpse of fear cross their faces, as they both knew very well the Moonstone was not something to mess around with, so whatever might be going on could be dangerous.

Lifting her dress little, the Queen began to follow as quick as she could. “Eugene, wait!” She fretted, husband close behind her.

The boy didn’t stop, instead determined to be the first to reach the central chambers. Twisting through dim halls, carefully not to trip in any holes left behind by the rocks, Eugene practically flung himself down the staircase. 

While he wasn’t fond of his city as most, the Moonstone was something he was fascinated by. His parents had told him the stories, about how the celestial stones were authoritative magical sources, able to take human forms. Besides Flynn Ryder’s books, he was always so fond of hearing the tales of how the mythical siblings would save the world, winning wars and doing the impossible. 

Though, he was also aware of what had happened in their last life cycle. How an ancient demon somehow managed to use them as her tools, using their powers to destroy the land and people around her. So he also knew why the stone was hidden and what they were supposed to do with it. Though, after seeing what he knew of the Moonstone, he wondered what its counterpart, the Sundrop, was like. Most certainly a lot less grim.

When he finally reached the main chambers, he slid to a stop. He noted how the black rocks in the room hadn’t vanished, in fact, there seemed to be more. All glowing a sharp and intense blue, the light bouncing off of everything, even the prince was covered in the cobalt gleam. In the centre, cradled by its own rocks, the Moonstone shone the brightest, almost going white. 

After a moment, he realised he wasn’t along, or the first to the room. He saw the three Brotherhood members, all on edge as they watched what was happening. Adira, the only woman of the group, was a tall Korean warrior, long pure white hair braided safely behind her head. Half of her face was painted a striking red, matching parts of her outfit. Hector was, while still tall like the rest, the lanky one, often hunching a little in his stanch. He had jet black hair, braided in many places, though his stunning lime green eyes are what stuck out the most. The final was Quirin, the broadest out of all of them. He wore thick dark grey armour, a short red cape tied around his chest. He too had black hair, but in the light, it had a tint of brown to it. Out of the three, he was the one most approachable. 

Each of them had a weapon drawn, eyes locked onto the celestial stone in anticipation on its next move. They too didn’t seem to know what was going on, which rightly worried them.

Glancing at each of them, Eugene spoke up. “Hey, what’s going on with it?”

Surprised, the three briefly looked back at him. They hadn’t heard him enter. Hector frowned lightly and was the first to turn his attention back to the Moonstone, while Adira and Quirin gave the boy a displeased gaze.

Quirin shifted his head back around to his original target, but raised a hand behind him. He gestured for the boy to stop coming closer. “Young prince, I advise you to stay back.”

The kid didn’t either hear him, or chose not to listen, as he stepped forward, going on his toes to get a better look. Quirin didn’t even need to turn around to know what he was doing.

“Adira…” The man grumbled.

Getting the hint, the white-haired woman grabbed the back of Eugene’s shirt, lifting him off the ground with ease. A teasing smile twitched on her lips, watching the prince squirm in her grip. The boy knew it was pointless to struggle, but he hated being grabbed like this.

“Hey!” He yelped, waving his hands around in annoyance.

“Sorry, Princey.” Adira hummed, easily holding the boy in one hand, a sword in the other.

Before Eugene could protest some more, the lighting from the stones began to fade away, catching everyone’s attention. It also happened to be the moment that Edmund and Bruna made it into the room, seeing what was going on.

The warrior holding Eugene handed him off to his parents, the King already grabbing the boy and keeping him in place. The boy squirmed a little, but didn’t dare try and break out of his father’s embrace. He definitely wasn’t as strong as Adira, but Eugene respected his father too much to pull anything. Plus, he was getting distracted by the magical show at work in front of them.

The black rocks holding the stone began to twist and curl around, creating a shape to supposedly hold something a little bigger. The Moonstone was still glowing, illuminating as it also began to change, taking on a different form.

Everyone suddenly realised what was about to transpire. They had theories on what was to happen, based on the information from Corona regarding what happened to the Sundrop. But this was still a shocking event that everyone was mesmerised by, even the more stoic members of the Brotherhood.

Seeing no need for their weapons, each member seethed their blades and relaxed in their stances. Quirin waited for the shaping light to start dimming, before taking a couple of steps forward.

The rocks had now shaped into something similar to a cradle, blocking a clear view from what it was holding. Unless you were right in front of it. So when the Moonstone finally finished, no one could see what it looked like now. However, they could hear the ghostly whimpers of a baby. 

Without needing to see, Hector dryly spoke. “Seems our predictions were right.” He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

Ignoring him, Quirin made his final steps up to the trough-like structure and looked in. If he were sincere, he didn’t know how to describe how he felt upon seeing the young face. His posture flattered when he looked into the haunting, yet oddly beautiful, bluish-white eyes. 

The Moonstone was reborn, a young baby with round and soft blue hair, hovering around his head as if there was a constant gentle breeze. Deathly pale skin, almost white as snow, with glowing freckles around his face and body, sharp half-crescent markings leading up to his eyes. He was scarily thin, unnatural for a child of this age. Constructing his colourless skin, was pieces of black rocks seemingly growing off on him, like around his wrist or right shoulder, as if trying to make an outfit but unsure on how to.

Those misty luminous eyes stared a Quirin, and immediately the whimpering and crying stopped, the child of the night going quiet. He didn’t seem scared, but rather incredibly curious, as if trying to understand who this man was, what he was going to do and why. Despite only having been around for a least a minute, sharp intelligence lingered behind that gaze.

The Brotherhood leader stared back, trying to understand what these emotions flickering inside him were. Something about seeing such a young face, already seeking out answers to the world, made him feel a little protective. He didn’t know why, but didn’t say anything for now.

Briefly looking back at the others, he began to unclip his faded red cape. Without making any sharp moves, he started wrapping it around the child. He was wary of the black rocks, but they barely reacted. Sure, they slowly moved around once or twice, but never in a hostile means. The child was probably not aware that it had power over stuck creations.

The Moonstone tugged at the cloth being wrapped around him. Again curious as to what it was and what was going on. But when the man tried moving him, he began to whimper a little, confused and scared at what he was doing. His hair glimmered a little brighter momentarily 

Hector snorted, despite being a little tense. “Careful brother. It’s still the embodiment of death and destruction.”

Quirin pulled a light frown at the oh so helpful comment, though his attention quickly went back to the mewling baby. While he looked innocent, the man knew what magic laid within him, so the other Brotherhood member was correct, he had to be careful. One wrong move and the rocks around them might strike without warning.

Brushing a hand under the celestial child’s head, supporting it gently, the warrior spoke in a hush, yet warm tone. “Easy, easy, it’s ok, little Moonstone…”

“Mmmh…” The Moonstone sulked, lip quivering a little. But the glint in his eyes suggested he understood the man wasn’t trying to hurt him.

Allowing the baby to settle, Quirin waited before wrapping the rest of his cape around the boy. He then lifted him out of the stone cradle, resting the child in his large hands and pulling him close to his chest. The mythical child’s eyes darted around, taking in his surroundings.

Still being ever so gentle and slow, Quirin made his way back to the others, his metal heels clicking against the solid ground. No one said a word a first, waiting to get a better of what the Moonstone now looked like.

Adira seemed to be interested, tilting her head with a curious expression, taking in what she saw. She clearly wanted to learn more, but would be patient about it. Hector’s eyes sharpened, as if he was glaring at the newcomer with suspension. This didn’t come as any surprise to anyone who knew the man, given how pessimistic the man was. He simply clicked his tongue and huddled deeper into his cloak.

The royals showed a little more emotion than the Brotherhood. Edmund’s eyes widened with uncertainty, clearly not sure how to react on what just happened. Bruna rested a hand on her chest, feeling a flutter of maternal instinct mixed with surprise. Eugene was standing as tall as he could on his toes, struggling to see the baby. His stomach was twisting his excitement, fear and eagerness, face switching between the different emotions. 

“Oh my.” Bruna quietly gasp, taking in the sight in front of her.

Eugene frowned for a moment, noting something finally. “It’s a baby?”

Snapping out of his thought, Edmund looked down at his son. “I did tell you the stories already, son.” He remarked.

The boy gave his father an innocent look. “Ya, but I always presumed he would like, be an adult or something.”

Quirin gazed at the three, waiting a moment to see if they would continue with their talk. His eyes drifted down the moonlight baby in his arms, watching how they were still inspecting the world around them.

Pulling his eyes away, he looked to the rulers. “Orders?”

Pausing, Edmund took a moment to find the right words. “Might as well dust off the room he was supposed to have for years now. Do you three mind settling him in? I must inform our people about the news.”

Adira joined Quirin’s side, bowing her head lightly. “Of course.”

The pair looked to their other member. Hector raised a brow but didn’t retort, inside standing from his position by the wall and joining them. The three of them looked at the infant, still processing how they felt about the situation. The newborn responded with looking right back at them, an emotionless look across his face, which was unsettling on such a young face.

Seeing the four would be alright, Edmund began to leave the room. His wife watched him, sliding her hands onto her son’s shoulders to guide him along.

“Come along now, sweetie.” Bruna lightly ordered, giving one last glance at the Brotherhood and Moonstone.

Eugene pouted, clearly wanting to stay and ask more questions. “But…” He faltered, sighing as he followed her.

That didn’t stop him from looking over his shoulder, seeing the warrior members whispering to each other. The baby in Quirin’s arms still didn’t express much, now having taken an interest in patting the man’s armour, seeing what it felt like. It was an odd bunch to look at.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Meanwhile, deep within Corona’s woods in a familiar tower, light humming could be heard on the height floor. A golden glow flowing out the open window, coming from the sunlight child sitting on the ledge.

The four-year-old was brushing her constantly moving hair. It didn’t need to be, as it never got tangled, but it was a relaxing activity for her. She had run out of things to do anyway, so excited for tonight. 

It was her birthday after all, and it meant those strange floating lights would be on at night. She didn’t know what they were, her mother said they were stars, but she knew better. They were special to her, she knew they meant something, but never pressed the issue. For now, she would be happy enough to watch them.

But as she hummed her incantation, her markings and hair momentarily shone brighter, reacting to something. The girl gasped lightly, holding her breath for a moment. Blinking in confusion, her eyes darted around. That was new...Felt like she sensed someone, someone who wasn’t even near her. 

She reached a hand up and brushed it through her long mythical hair, strains of it wrapping around her fingers through her command. The unusual glowing subsided quickly, gone back to her type of normal. 

Near her, a now eight-year-old Cassandra took notice, just as surprised and caught off guard as her adopted sister. Hopping off her chair, she stepped over to the Sundrop.

“You ok there, Raps?” Cass piped up, catching her sister off guard.

Rapunzel flicked her gaze at her, allowing her hair to settle again. She paused, thinking about what to say. She knew she was special, a magical being, but she didn’t know how to explain what just happened. And yet, it felt familiar, like whatever happened was something she had gone through before. Unfourntally, she couldn’t remember.

Mother had told her that she was a powerful being who has had many lives before this one, but for some reason, this time around, she had no memories. This wasn’t normal, from what she could understand, as by now she should have gotten some back. Or, at least, that’s what Gothel explained. 

Biting her tongue, she brushed a hand down her petal skirt. “Ya, just thought I heard something…” And her eyes drifted out the window.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

It was late into the night, moon near its peak. Half of the Dark Kingdom asleep, the other half just waking up. The moonlight glow was reflecting off the stone walls, and torches shattered around the city perking up in the shadows.

Back in the tower, a certain prince snuck his way through the halls. His mother had tucked him in about an hour ago, so he was wearing his deep purple nightgown, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders, the ends of it trailing behind his feet. You’d think the cold marble-like floor would have put him off, but you get used to it when you live in a place like this.

He didn’t disturb any guards, thankfully. Lance had taught him a few tricks to sneak around in the dark. He knew if he were caught, he’d be taken back to bed or his parents. He just wanted to check something for himself, alone.

When he finally reached his destination, he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw no Brotherhood members were guarding the door, and when he peeked into the room, none were waiting around inside. They had either gone to rest or talk to the King, either way, they weren’t going to be a problem for the time being.

He grinned from ear to ear, hopping quickly across the room, the door closing on its own. It was a decently sized chamber, obsidian shaded walls like the rest of the castle. It was, however, fairly emptied, given it only just became occupied. There were a few pillows in the corner, a stone dresser matching the walls to the side, a large window with a ledge to the left and the walls were dotted with glowing blue gems, producing a soft gleam. The chandelier on the roof was the similar, hanging the same crystals up high. At the end of the room was a fancy cradle that Eugene was making his way to.

As he got closer, he could hear the quiet cooing. Holding onto the bars of the cradle, he pulled himself up a little and peered in. His deep brown eyes made contact with the mythical blue ones.

The Moonstone looked at the other boy, his attention glued on him. He titled his head, as if he remembered the prince from before. He didn’t say anything, just stared as the older child examined him.

Eugene rested his cheeks in his hands, smirking a little. “Man, you’re small. Not at all what I was expecting.” He reached a hand down, brushing his fingers along the top of the baby’s flowing hair. “I mean...the freckles are cute.” He chuckled softly, a light snort in his nose.

The baby's hair was strange, it felt unnaturally soft, even a little cold. It was quite poofy too, curl a little to make a round shape. It did make sense, since it was supposed to reflect the moon. Though the prince was surprised that the younger boy reacted positively to the contact, relaxing when he felt the fingers brush through his hair. 

“Murrrrrr…” The moonlight child murmured, little hand reaching for Eugene.

It made the prince crack a bigger smile. It was the first time he saw the mostly neutral baby show a lighter reaction. “Look at that hair, most babies I’ve seen are bald when they’re born.” He patted the boy again. “So fluffy.” He squealed under his breath.

The baby finally managed to grab the older boy’s wrist, curiosity still sparklingly in those ghostly eyes. It was strange watching the infant, how he seemed to possess some amount of knowledge, yet was still a newborn. His mannerisms were different from most kids at this age, which made sense, given he wasn’t an average human.

Watching as the Moonstone settled on examining the eleven-year-old’s fingers, he spoke again. “Well, I’m Prince Eugene.”

He knew the baby didn’t understand, given he didn’t respond, instead distracted by the idea of how fingers worked, but the older child didn’t care.

A smirk perked up on Eugene’s face. “This feels like it’s gonna be fun.”


	3. Missing Pieces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Four years later, and we celebrate another birthday. But family tension sparks from both lives, and the celestial siblings just want to find somewhere to be free for once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **I had fun with Team Awesome stuff. I’m sorry if there wasn’t much about Cass and Rapunzel, but a lot of the tower stuff would be the same, beside Cassandra’s presence. However, after this chapter, we’ll be following the movie.  
>  \-----------------------------------------------------------------  
> Characters:  
> Varian  
> Eugene  
> Lance**
> 
> **King Edmund  
>  ‘Queen Bruna’ (Eugene’s Mother)  
> Quirin  
> Adira  
> Hector**
> 
> **Rapunzel  
>  Gothel  
> Cassandra  
> \-----------------------------------------------------------------  
> Warning: Nothing really, besides Mother Gothel’s behaviour.  
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Tangled!  
> \-----------------------------------------------------------------**

Another four years later... 

With the two Celestial siblings back and alive, both Kingdoms had their hands full. Corona was busy searching for the lost Sundrop, fearing whoever had her and what they could possibly be doing with her. They were ashamed at their loss, not speaking much on the matter with others who vaguely knew what they were supposed to protect. The Dark Kingdom had offered help from time to time, but their distance caused problems. For now, they would keep searching. They also released lanterns on the day she was reborn, in hopes she might see them.

King Edmund, Queen Bruna and the Brotherhood had made sure no one could get their hands on the young Moonstone. Surprisingly, there were a couple attempts, but most learned quickly and back off, either because of the warriors guarding him, or the Moonstone’s own destructive powers. 

Meanwhile, Gothel had been busy hiding away and raising her two girls. Rapunzel had been kept in the tower for her entire life so far, as her caretaker knew if any word got out about her location, she would be done for. She did, however, let Cassandra out from time to time, sometimes joining her on trips to the small towns nearby. She decided to use her biological daughter as a tool, a weapon to keep Rapunzel safe if they ever faced danger, for whatever reason. Cassandra had picked up on swordplay and basic hand-to-hand combat, eager to please her mother and protect her adopted demi-goddess of a sister.

However, over the eight years of the two being around, Gothel and the Dark Kingdom began to realise what damaged still lingered between the two beings of power. Their memories were gone. They don’t remember any of their past lives or how they even died last time. That being said, they still had the knowledge and skills they had learnt, just no memories on how they knew such things. An example would be Rapunzel knowing how to bake an incredible and rich blueberry muffin recipe, but doesn’t where she learnt such a skill, Cassandra and Gothel never taught her before. Or how Varian, despite being so young, already had a vast knowledge in the world of alchemy and experiments. 

That being said, no one exactly kept their past a secret. The two knew the basics, that they were beings of the sun and moon with extreme power, have lived many lives and that they were killed by a demon. Yet they were also told that they could never see one another, to protect themselves and the world.

Unfortunately for them, entities like these two were born to unite, one way or another... 

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Eugene, now fifteen-years-old, swished back his hair, fixing himself up in the mirror. He was heading out tonight, so of course, he needed to look presentable. It was hard looking so good, at least to him. But he was excited for what he had planned tonight, or rather, what he planned for someone else. 

In the mirror, he saw the door behind him creak open, a tiny figure peering. Despite their dark outfit and cloak, their bright luminous hair gave them away in the dim lighting. 

The prince chuckled, fixing up his dark pale purple shirt, snapping the collar into place. He turned his head and body sideways, hand sliding across the bench before settling. His relaxed posture gave his young guest encouragement to come in.

Varian shuffled through the door, letting it close on its own as he made his way over to Eugene. Over the four years, his noticeable features have finally taken proper shape, including his outfit made by his own magic. Made with the stones he can command, the child looked like he was ready for war with the kind of armour he wore. Gems matching his soft blue hair bedazzled across his chest, hips, belt, elbows and knees, gleaming lightly. However, the cloak was not made by him. Instead, it was a gift from Quirin, which is why the clip on it was the Brotherhood symbol.

When the boy stopped in front of Eugene, he looked up with a pure white grin. Varian wasn’t one to show heavy emotions, mostly content with being quiet and observant, but he had his moments. The teen prince couldn’t blame him, given how special today was for the moonlight child. 

Eugene bent down, resting his hands on his knees. “Alright, just do your little magic trick, and then we can go.”

Varian nodded eagerly, before closing his eyes. He brought hands up, resting them on his chest as his fingers curled up. There was a hum of energy, before the young child began to change a little. His pale white skin faded in a bit of natural colour, his freckles stopped glowing, and the markings under his eyes vanished. Then, his mythical hair stopped shining and hovering, resting back on his head and covering the top of his face, the colour changing to a midnight black, except for a single streak of blue. When he opened his eyes, they too were normal, now a lovely shade of baby blue.

It was a skill that the pair discovered by accident, the ability to look more human. Unfortunately, the amour couldn’t go, so he looked like a minor who was suited up for the darkest of battles. Thankfully, the cloak was enough to hide it. 

Chuckling, Eugene reached over and flicked the blue strain above the child’s face. “You sure you can’t do anything about the stripe?” He teased.

Varian puffed his cheeks. “I don’t think so…”

The older of the two shrugged, having not expected a new answer. Instead, he grabbed his own cloak off to the side of them, this one being a rich dark brown, unlike the younger one’s night grey one. 

They made their way out of the room, Eugene taking the Moonstone’s hand and guiding him. He had spent years learning how to sneak around, a skill his old friend Lance had taught him over time. Very useful when he wanted to get out any royal situations and needed a break from the castle. Varian, however, didn't need training. Despite wearing armour made of heavy indestructible rocks, he was somehow always light on his feet, able to sneak up on most. The only times he wasn’t quiet was either when he excited about a new discovery he made that he wanted to share, or he wanted to be heard.

With both their sneaking skills at play, it didn’t take them long to get past any guards or staff they came by, taking one of the many back doors this castle had. When they made their way onto the streets, they were a lot more casual in their walk, unless they passed by patrolling guards. The dark prince didn’t let go of the mythical’s child hand though, making sure the child didn’t wander off out of curiosity or by accident. 

He had made a promise to the child, for it was Varian’s birthday. He was becoming four-years-old, and while Eugene couldn’t blame anyone, his past celebrations had been dull. The King and Queen did allow gifts to be given, but no one really threw a party for the young child. He mostly spent those days opening presents with the Brotherhood.

It always made Eugene smile when he saw how those three great warriors behaved around the Moonstone. Quirin had immediately taken on the primary caretaker role, even if he didn’t say so or disagreed. He was the one who taught Varian how to walk and talk, made sure to tuck the child into bed, read him stories and so on, despite what the moonlight child was. Adira had clearly taken on the fun aunt role. She loved teasing and playing around with him, making little jokes that would successfully get a laugh out of the boy, even if most were pointed at Eugene. Hector had been a surprise. At first, of course, he simply watched from the shadows and didn’t interact much. But the young boy wasn’t having any of that. He was often caught shadowing the man, sometimes mimicking him when he was training. While the grimmest member of the Brotherhood wouldn’t say it, they all knew the child somehow had Hector wrapped around his finger. Plus, he really liked the man’s rhino and two binturongs. 

That being said, they were like the prince’s parents. Overprotective and glued to the main goal of their job. Keeping the Moonstone away from the outside world, and from the Sundrop. They all knew what he could do, and the stories from the past scared them. Eugene seemed to be the only one who thought beyond that, wanting to give the child a chance and choice on how he should run his life. 

Which is why they were sneaking out tonight. There was a rule that the boy wasn’t supposed to leave the castle, and even if he did, he required at least one Brotherhood member and they had to stick to the centre part of the Kingdom. Eugene, however, was bringing him to the city’s walls. There was a tavern right by the gates, well known for being the only part of this place that welcomed travellers. It was a location that the young teen found himself at often, for he could be himself out there.

When they finally made their way to the building, another teen was waiting outside. Reasonably tall, dark skin and bald, a faint moustache growing above his lips. When he saw the two, he beamed with a grin and beckoned them over.

Perking up, Eugene sped walked over, almost dragging the child with him. “Lance!”

“You guys made it!” Lance whooped, raising his arms in a gesture of excitement. “And just in time too, big crowd tonight.”

And he appeared to be right, judging by the loud cheers and constant chatting heard through the door and windows, along with the groups of people chilling outside, drinking and sharing stories. 

Varian perked up at the sight, eager to see what this place was like and what he could learn. He slipped out of his friend’s grip and dashed forward. Lance watched him, a smile tugging at his lips, he was always fond of children.

He then turned to Eugene, whispering so the youngest couldn’t hear them. “So, are you sure about this? I get it’s his birthday but…”

The prince waved his hand, dismissing the idea of worry. “He said he wanted to follow me tonight, see how I celebrate. I can’t just ignore the birthday boy’s wish.” Pride and ego shined in his eyes.

Walking past his friend, he made his way over to the Moonstone, retaking his hand. He might not be worried, but he still had to take care of the young child. When Varian settled in his hold, he pushed the door open for the two of them and enter.

Lance paused, thinking over his friend’s words, but shrugged and followed behind. He trusted Eugene’s judgement. Besides, it’s not like they were going to look for trouble when they had such a small companion around. 

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Back at the castle, the Brotherhood members wandered down the hall. Quirin and Adira made their way over to Varian’s room, Hector stuck to the shadows as he suspiciously gazed around. He always had a way of knowing if something was off, even before anything happened.

Quirin opened the bedroom door, shuffling in with Adira close behind. The Moonstone’s room had become a lot more cluttered over the year, the young intelligent child collecting anything he deemed valuable or worth learning from. Books were stacked everywhere, the old bookcase they moved in was filled to the brim years ago. There were children’s toy, but Varian was more fond for ones revolving around puzzles or music, hardly anything plush. There was even a telescope by the large window, pointing up at the evening sky. 

There was, however, no child to be seen. They had come to check up on him to give him his gifts, maybe even have a birthday dinner. A little late to it, but they had been busy. An assignment from the King and Queen before.

“Varian?” Quirin called, eyes scanning the room as he walked around.

Adira copied him, searching for the child. “Moonstone?”

When they got no response, they knew he wasn’t in his room. He wasn’t a rude child, almost always coming out when he was called. He could have gone off to the library, or maybe talk to Edmund and Bruna, but they all know that wasn’t the case. 

“Don’t tell me…” Quirin groaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

Hector piped up from the doorway, leaning against it. “You already know the answer.”

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

The tavern was a lot warmer than most of the Dark Kingdom. While most of it was made of stones, it also had wood across the floor or lining the walls. Bright torches light up the rooms, along with heating the air. Being located around a mountain, it was normal for most places to feel cold. Not here though.

Varian stuck to Eugene’s side like glue, keeping his cloak tight around him, hood covering his face. He had been bubbling with curiosity before they entered, but as they shuffled through the large crowd of bombastic people, he lost some of his nerves. Still, he pressed forward to see what this bar could offer. 

The prince had taken note of the boy’s discomfort, giving him a light squeeze of the hand. He had looked down at his young friend, giving him an expression saying it was ok to leave any time he wanted.

Lance was close behind, apologising to anyone he bumped into, though Eugene suspected he was also pickpocketing some of them. He never called him out on it, unless it was a friend or someone who could probably kill him. He also hasn’t told Varian that his friend was a thief just yet, only a rebel and streetsmart teen.

When they reached the bar, Eugene smiled at the sight of some open seats. Shuffling past a few more people, he made his way over with the other two. The server was well known to him. A young woman with bright red hair, tied up for her work, shining lips perked on her face. She had quite the figured and very attractive, but she proud of it and often a people person, knowing how to deal with her customers, no matter how rude or aggressive. 

She looked up, noticing the familiar face. “Nice to see you around again, princey.” She teased, drying off a cup she just washed.

The nickname made him roll his eyes, but he offered a smile back. “Can never stay away, this is one of the few places that interacts with the outside world!” He chuckled.

She watched how, before taking his seat, he bent down and picked up a small figure. Her eyes perked up at the sight of a beautiful young child, who went slack in the prince’s arms as he settled him on the chair.

She leaned on the bench, a sweet grin on her fair face. “Aw, and who’s this little one?”

The moonlight child in disguise lifted his hood back. His raven black hair settled into place, despite how poofy it was. He titled his head, looking over the server. She seemed nice, and Eugene was alright with her, so he gave her a tiny smile before his eyes drifted down and began tapping at the wooden bench. 

Slipping into his seat, the prince ruffled the boy’s hair. “Varian, I’m watching him tonight.” He smirked and looked back at her. “And it’s his birthday.” He winked.

Lance joined them too, giving a brief wave and smile to the server, but she was distracted by the news. He just shrugged and rested his elbows on the surface in front of him.

She gave a light laugh. “Well, I’m sure we have something special for him.”

“Thanks. As for drinks, the usual.” Eugene waved his hand lightly, but then felt a tug on his sleeves. “But milk for him.” He gestured to Varian.

She nodded, placing the dried cup down and walking off. The prince looked back at the Moonstone, seeing how the young boy was gazing around, taking in his surroundings. He seems to have settled now that they have been seated. His powers shouldn’t be an issue then, as long as nothing spooked or angered him.

Lance paused before looking at his friend. “Does he even need to drink? Or eat?” He inquired, gesturing to the youngest of them.

“Nah, my dad explained he doesn’t have to. But he likes it.” Eugene explained.

And that was true. The Celestial stones were strange in their human forms. They didn’t need to eat or drink, but they could if they wanted to. Their biological was weird, even beyond the glowing marks and hair. Apparently, they had no bones or organs, which would explain why Eugene near heard a heartbeat when the kid was close enough. The Moonstone’s blood was a glowing sliver, while the Sundrop was a bright gold. He had seen a case where Varian cut himself Quirin’s sword, but it healed rather quickly, faster than an average human. He also knew they couldn’t get sick, at least not by natural things. A magical virus could work, however. 

The server was quick, coming back with their drinks. She handed Eugene and Lance their alcoholic beverages, both grabbing them and giving her cheers with them. She then placed a glass of milk in front of the child, who’s wandering eyes snapped back to it.

His small hands reached out and gripped around the cup. “Thank you.” Varian simpered.

She gave a fond smile, nodding lightly. “Anytime, sweetie.” And then she walked away again.

Eugene sipped his drink a couple of times, relaxing in his seat as he twisted his body around, seeing if anything caught his eye. He mostly played bar games or flirt with any woman who caught his eye when he was around, though he might hold off on the latter with the kid around.

His eyes settled back on his young friend. “So, what do you think?”

Varian placed his drink down after having a sip, wiping his mouth with his armoured glove. “This place is loud…” He remarked with hesitation. “I like the server, though.” 

Eugene chuckled lightly. The kid was always honest and blunt, even with people like the Brotherhood. But the teen’s eyes flickered up when he heard a roar of laughter. Lance looked too, both of them turning their attention to one of the many tables hosting some kind of gambling game. It was a card game, and after a moment of watching, it became apparent that it was blackjack.

The prince found a devilish smirk on his face, looking to Lance, both had a mischievous glint in their eyes. Finishing off their drinks quickly, they placed their cups down and began to stand.

Eugene offered his hand to the kid, who looked at him with large eyes. “Then how about you sit and watch some of the fun parts this place has to offer.” 

Tilting his head, Varian took the man’s hand, while stilling carrying his glass of milk. He was helped down from his seat before being walked over to another one, closer to the table playing the card game. When Eugene was satisfied that the kid was alright, he made his way over with Lance.

Lance pushed past two men, pretending not to notice the glares. “Hey! We wanna join in.”

The dark prince slipped over to his side, reaching for the inside of his cloak. He knew what the dealer was about to say.

“What you got to bet with?” The man huffed, shuffling the clutch of cards.

Right away, Eugene dropped a decently sized pouch of coins. It was just enough to get him and his friend in the game. The dealer took a moment to assess how much the sack was worth, before giving a gruff nod and gesturing for them to take a seat.

As the pair took their place, Eugene looked over his opponents. They’re what you would expect, scummy people down on their luck, travellers who want to share in the experience and shady folk who wanted to make a quick cash grab. 

Varian, from his seat, watched with quiet curiosity. He didn’t express much across his face, his small legs swaying around as they hung off the seat. Occasionally he would drink his milk, but beyond that, he just sat back to see what would happen. 

And the game began, and it was somewhat simple. Get as close as you could to twenty-one without going over it. The first few rounds were a bit of a blur, the players dropping off like flies. Some were decent and just walked away, others were a little aggressive and spouted out certain words that Eugene prayed the kid would never repeat. He and Lance were doing rather well, luck appeared to be on their side.

However, the dark-skinned teen eventually lost. He groaned and leaned back in his chair dramatically, but didn’t say much else. Eugene patted his shoulder in fake sympathy, before turning to the only other player.

The man he was squaring off was very tall and bulky. He seemed like the generic criminal you would see walking around taverns like this. Scars across his face, a thick leather outfit with a fur coat, some of his teeth angled so they sticking out from between his lips, the whole package. He also had a friend tagging along with him, but they had lost a couple of rounds ago. 

This didn’t sway Eugene in any way, he had seen much scarier people. “Just the two of us now, huh?”

His rival didn’t respond beyond a glare, slipping his cards out. He stared at Eugene in a way that hinted to something, like he didn’t trust whatever the teen was trying to do. But the young prince ignored him, slipping out his cards. In the end, Eugene won, as his opponent drew a card that added his total over twenty-one. 

Slapping his hands on the table in excitement, the young teen gave a cocky grin. “Ah-ha! Sorry, pal.”

He then reached out to take their prize money, curling an arm around them to draw them close. What he was not expecting, was for the barbaric man he faced off to jump to his feet, snatching Eugene’s wrist.

On-lookers froze, but didn’t do anything. It’s not like bar fights and sore losers weren't common here. Lance and Eugene froze up, taken aback at what was going on. Varian craned his neck, trying to get a better look at to what was happening.

The prince tried to pull away from his grip, looking at the man with confusion and a little fear. “Woah, what are you doing?”

Lance rose to his feet, reaching out a bit. “Hey, you might want to back off.” He warned, despite the crack in his voice.

The Moonstone frowned, placing his now empty glass on the table behind him. Glancing around, he hopped off his chair and made his way over, squeezing through people’s legs. He could sense the thick tension, so he wanted to be close to his friend in case something went wrong. 

When he came over, he gripped onto the side of the young teen’s coat. “Eugene?...”

The dark prince jumped a little, having not sensed the child’s presence before. Panic started to rise in him, as he had a feeling as to why this stranger was assaulting him, but more so because the kid was close. He couldn’t risk a fight breaking out.

Before he could even try to chat his way out of the situation, the gruff man roughly pulled at his sleeves, causing hidden cards to fall out. Eugene winced a little, seeing his secret was out. Though no one was surprised, people often cheated in these kinds of place. 

The man’s lips twisted into a distasteful scowl. “I knew it. Always the classic tricks.”

His partner stood now too, joining his side and reaching for his belt. Lance caught sight of this, looking to Eugene with a look saying they needed to run and fast. His friend managed to twist his arm out of the angered man’s grip, shuffling off of his chair.

Eugene gave a nervous laugh, backing up with the other two. “I mean, if it ain’t broke.” Instinctively, he placed his hands on Varian’s shoulders.

Lance waved his hands franticly, gesturing to the table covered in money. “We were just playing around. You can keep the loot.”

Varian’s eyes darted around, sensing and seeing the apparent danger. His breathing picked up a little, and he gripped onto Eugene’s leg. He had to calm himself, before his powers acted out for him. It’s not that would lose if they fought, it was more that he wasn’t allowed to, given what kind of damage he could cause, even at such a young age. 

The sight of the teens and child cowering didn’t stop the man. “No, you humiliated us…”

That was enough to spark it. Both men drew weapons, one holding a hunting knife, the other with a hatchet. Everyone in the crowd backed off, no one offering to help. The three jumped back as their two foes rushed around the table.

“Run!” Lance shrieked, already making a break for the door. 

“Come on, hair stripe!” Eugene grabbed the boy, lifting him up into his arms. 

Varian didn’t protest, gripping onto his friend in shock, hooking his legs around the prince’s sides. There was no use for the child to try and run alongside them, his legs were too short. 

Throwing himself forward, Eugene dashed to the door, following behind Lance. He didn’t dear look back, in fear it would slow them down. He did hear the two men yelling at them, threatening them and telling them to come back and face them like men. Screw that!

As he could hear his blood pumping, he managed to catch up with his friend. Feet pounding against the stone pathway, brains tossing around any ideas on what to do. Their best option was to find any of the guards, since, of course, they’d want to defend the prince and the Moonstone. 

“Why did you do that?” Lance exclaimed, nearly tripping over his own feet.

Swallowing, Eugene took a sharp breath. “Cause tricks are always fun!”

His friend pulled an expression annoyance and anger, emotions he would have to deal with later. “Well, I’m not having fun!” 

The prince shook his head and kept running. He questioned how they hadn’t found any guards yet. It then hit him that the sun was just about to vanish, nightfall close. The guards were probably switching around by now. But as it grew darker, the city’s torches started to light up. It was then that Eugene realised that something wasn’t glowing the standard orange from the flames, instead, it was a soft whiteish blue. 

Feeling his heart freeze for a moment, his eyes drifted down to the boy hanging onto him. The streak of blue in his hair began to shine, his freckles becoming luminous. It was a sign that Varian was about to act out in defence, and Eugene knew they were screwed. 

Darted his head up, he thought about the scolding he was going to receive when he got home. He watched how Lance turned a corner, so he followed behind. What he did not expect, however, was a sizeable beefy arm coming from behind, fingers curling around his coat and yanking him to a stop. 

The prince yelped, feeling Varian slip out of his arms. The child crashed onto the ground, gritting his teeth as he quickly scrammed onto his back. He saw the two antagonists surrounding Eugene, looking so eager to teach the young teen a lesson. Flicking his head around, he saw Lance slid to a stop, but didn’t come closer. He didn’t know whether it’s because the other teen was a coward, or didn’t know how to proceed. 

“Gotcha.” One of the men chuckled, his hot breath washing over Eugene’s face.

The Moonstone growled under his breath. He understood that the prince did something wrong, trying to cheat these people out of their money, but that gave them no right to beat him. Flicking his hood into place, he jumped to his feet and tried to dash forward.

The one not holding Eugene raised a brow and grabbed the four-year-old’s wrists, snorting at such a scene. Varian didn’t relent, kicking and struggling in the man’s grip.

The dark prince’s eyes widened, pulling against the man holding him. “Woah, woah, leave the kid out of this.”

“Eugene!” The child whined, his body shaking a little. Not because he was scared, but rather because he felt a surge of energy come to him.

The young royal teen pulled his head back. The two hostile men couldn’t see it from their height, but under the child’s cloak, Eugene could see his hair beginning to change again, going back to its normal mythical blue, his skin going pale and eyes fading to a blueish white, including irises and pupils. He knew he couldn’t stop the child now, so he prepared himself for what would come next.

The one holding him seemed to misinterpret the teen’s expression. “Oh, scared for the little boy?” He taunted.

Eugene slowly nodded, his face scrunching up in anticipation “Ya, but...more so for you now.”

The man holding Varian finally noticed the glowing emitting from under the child’s hood. Confused, he pulled it back, his eyes going wide as he saw the moonlight hair, flowing as magic brushed through it. Its luminescence light becoming more intense by the second. 

Anger subsided by surprise, the man was about to back away. “What in the-?”

Before he could do anything, a blunt clutch of magical rocks burst from the ground, slamming into him. The man cried out, hitting the wall before trying to scramble to his feet. Varian flicked around to face him, his eyes shining violently. With a swirl of his hand, black rocks constructed around his foe, caging him. 

The Moonstone’s eyes turned to the one holding Eugene, baring his white teeth and rage. It was a sight to behold, a small child beaming with power, blessed with blue light and summoning rocks that signalled your destruction. 

The prince went to say something, but felt his wrists being let go of. Turning his head, he saw the man trying to run for it, smart for once. Varian’s eyes squinted, raising a brow as his scowl thickened. He curled his fingers sharply, causing a way of sharp black rocks to chase after the man, right past Eugene.

Lance stared in shock. He knew who the boy was, but he had actually never seen what he could do. He would have to remind himself to never piss off the Moonstone. But he made his way to his friend, hesitating when he had to pass Varian.

Eugene rubbed his wrists, still trying to think of what to do. He saw the black rocks cornering their fleeing foe, and became worried that the kid might brutally hurt him, or worse. He looked to Lance with uncertainty in his eyes. But an answer came, well, more that someone else could deal with the problem.

“Varian!” An aged voice called out.

That seemed to snap the boy out of his trance of hatred. Eyes widening, Varian rested his hands down, the black rocks stopping in their assault. The intense shine radiating off of him softened to its natural glow. His demeanour changed, becoming ashamed and nervous as three figures rushed over.

Quirin made he was over the fastest, immediately kneeling down in front of the child with no fear. He was quick with his examination over the boy, making sure he wasn’t hurt. The boy’s eyes were glued to the ground, not daring to look into the man’s eyes, merely tugging at the sides of his cloak.

Eugene and Lance looked to the side, seeing Adira and Hector making their way over. The man who had been chased by the black rocks was about to get up and run, but Hector raised a brow at him, and one of his binturongs hissed, stalking over to the man to make sure he stayed put.

Glaring his throat, Lance began shuffling away. “Ah...I’m gonna scram.” And with that, he bolted down the road, no one bothering to stop him.

Slumping in defeat, Eugene accepted his fate. “Lucky…”

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Back at a certain tower in the woods, two young girls could be heard giggling. The youngest sat cross-legged, hands covering her eyes as she waited for her surprise. Her supernatural hair was reacting as well, flicking around in excitement. 

Her adopted sister settled something in front of her, tapping Rapunzel’s knee as a signal to look. Glimmering eyes peeked through her fingers, before pulling away her hands. In front of her was a candle, a special one as it was personally made. Carvings of things the sun child light covered it. The sun, the moon, the stars, a couple of lanterns, even her companion Pascal. Made all from scented fresh bee wax.

Gasping, her lengthy hair drifted forward, acting as her hands. Strains curled around the candle, gently lifting it up to Rapunzel’s face as she examined it.

Reaching out, she took the candle from her hair. “I love it, thank you Cass!” She beamed, looking to her sister.

The twelve-year-old blushed lightly, but gave a smile back. “Mother helped me find it.”

Biting her lip, Rapunzel slowly glanced around. “Is she?”

Already knowing what she was looking for, Cassandra spoke. “Still out, I think she’s planning your favourite for dinner tonight.”

The Sundrop hummed lightly to that response, going back to examining her new gift. No matter what or how small something was, she was always so grateful for any gift. Then again, she was always a bubbly person who cherished anything positive. 

Over the years in the tower, her defining features had to settle in. Like her counterpart, she could magically grow an outfit over herself. Hers was always made out of plant life, unnaturally sized petals acting as her dress, vines and leaves keeping it together or curling around her legs and arms. The petals were a cream colour, a light gradient of yellowish-orange around the waist area, along with lines of deep purple. On the hip of her belt was a flower, matching the one she born in. Her hair had also grown over the years, still flowing around like the sun’s fire.

As she tilted the candle in her hands, her demi-goddess eyes looked back at her sister with curiosity.

“Did you get this at the market?” She asked, eager to know about anything to do with the outside world.

Cassandra paused, she wasn’t allowed to talk about such things when both Rapunzel and mother were around. Much like her sister, she had questioned why the girl couldn’t at least see the markets. Gothel had told them the stories about the demon who used the Sundrop as a tool, being the reason she no longer had her memories. She claimed that someone would do the same thing again and hurt Rapunzel for their own selfish goals, so they were protecting her and her magic from a cruel world.

Rapunzel had accepted that reasoning a while ago, but Cassandra was a little more stubborn. And, with no Gothel around, she saw no problem in talking about it. So she gave a light nod to her sister.

Shuffling closer, the candle was held in her hair again. “How was it?...” She whispered, as if expecting their mother to suddenly appear in the room.

Cassandra shrugged. “Loud, like normal.” She pulled herself off the ground. “I meet some of the nice sellers again, but there were some new members I haven’t talk to yet.”

Sighing a little too loudly, Rapunzel joined her and rose to her feet. “Sounds like fun…”

Seeing her younger sister’s faltering joy, she reached out and wrapped a comforting arm around her. “Hey, maybe one day you can come.” She reassured, but her eyes briefly glanced at Gothel’s mirror. “And you know, mother’s just trying to keep you safe.”

Rapunzel didn’t perk up, hugging her arms. “I know.” 

Pursing her lips, Cassandra looked towards their bedrooms. She smiled as an idea formed in her head. “Hey, why don’t we go show Pascal what you got?”

That caught the Sundrop’s attention, her little lizard always could cheer her up. “Oh, he’ll love it!”

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

“You know the Moonstone is not supposed to leave the castle, much less without the brotherhood.” King Edmund condemned his son, having not been pleased after hearing what happened.

Eugene stood in front of the thrones, his parents sitting in them as they argued with him. He felt so small in this room, he hated it. He wasn’t sure what to say, he couldn’t get out of something like this. They had caused trouble, he’ll admit that, but it wasn’t the intended purpose of the trip. 

“It’s his birthday, I thought he deserved a treat.” He tried to justify himself, but he knew it was pointless. 

Behind him, he could sense the Brotherhood. They had been quiet since they finished explaining what they found, now waiting for their next orders. Varian was with them, holding onto Quirin’s hand for comfort since they found him. He was still shaken up by how he behaved, as he knew better, but sometimes it got complicated. He was still young and trying to understand his power, even if they came naturally most of the time. Sadly, he wasn’t good with his anger, as rarely as it pops up.

Bruna sighed in frustration, pinching the bridge of her nose. “You didn’t need to bring him along to get him something.”

Eugene went to reply, but his mother’s look made him falter. He bit his tongue and looked away, still trying to think of the right words. He was usually so good at chatting, but family was a different case to deal with.

The King relaxed his posture a little, not wanting to scare his child off from another argument. “We’re fine with the two of you being friends. But you have to remember that we’re doing this to protect him and the world.”

Bruna reached a handover, resting it on her husband’s arm. Her deep brown eyes softened. “We can’t let him fall into the wrong hands, Eugene.”

Scoffing, the prince crossed his arms and looked back at his parents. “He’s just a kid. Don’t you think cooping him up is a little much.” He bit his tongue again, having not wanted to sound so snarky.

“There are reasons for it. Reasons you know very well, my son.” Edmund reminded him, eyes drifting to the side.

Eugene’s eyes followed, seeing that his father was gazing at the stained glass windows. Some of them depicted the fight with Zhan Tiri against the Celestial siblings, including the moment she weaponized them. He hated looking at those pictures, all they brought was fear.

The Queen straightened her back, speaking to gain her son’s attention again. “You brought him to the city borders, along with getting involved with a bar fight.”

“Technically, it became a street fight.” He tried to casually huff, but his body language and tone betrayed him.

Before anyone else in the family could argue more, a new voice piped in. 

“I’m sorry...” Varian whispered softly, yet loud enough to be heard. “It was my fault, I asked if I could see how he would celebrate a birthday…” He tried to defend his friend, voice a little shaky.

Quirin glanced down at the boy, sighing quietly at the sight. The child’s heart was in the right place, but there was no denying who was responsible for what happened. The King and Queen shared the same understanding too, in no ways mad with the moonlight child.

“You didn’t know any better…” Edmund said, giving the boy a gentle look.

Varian looked away though, dropping his gaze to the floor. Eugene watched the child’s expression, a concerned look across his face. It didn’t feel right to him, trapping him like this. He knew why they did it, but just couldn’t agree to it. It is why he took the boy out in the first place.

But before he could even try to comfort his friend, Adira stepped forward and knelt down. She raised a hand, hovering it under Varian’s chin. The child responded by looking up at her.

She gave a fond smile. “Hey, we got you some things for today, why don’t we go show you them.”

Everyone else picked up on the idea to distract the Moonstone. It was still his birthday, after all, so they shouldn’t end it on a bitter note. Quirin looked to his King and Queen, both giving a nod of approval to take the boy away.

The Brotherhood made their way to the door, Varian still close to Quirin as his typical nature started to peek through again by asking questions.

He looked to Hector with wide eyes. “Am I big enough to ride Ivory yet?”

He was referring to the man’s Rhino. Hector paused, pursing his lips as his eyes looked to his brother and sister. Adira smirked while Quirin raised a brow, daring the man to agree.

Clicking his tongue, the man looked forward again. “Not yet…”

When they left, the large obsidian coloured doors closed, leaving the royals alone. No one said anything for a while, mostly because they didn’t know what else to say. But Eugene sighed, feeling his shoulders slump as he turned away from his parents.

“Look, I know you want to do what you think is the right thing.” His voice was tired, just wanting to get away from this room. “But if you keep locking him away, eventually he'll fight back.” He lifted his head, straightening his back. “Trust me, I know how that feels.”

Edmund went to say something, but his wife shook her head. Their son didn’t want to keep talking, so they shouldn’t push him. Eugene strolled away, slipping through the doors and vanishing off to his room. 

Bruna lost her stoic posture, resting into her chair as she thought to herself. They loved him, they really did, but they didn’t know how to live with the kind of man he was growing up to be. As he grew, Eugene was starting to become more and more open about his displeasure towards his home, the very home he was supposed to rule over one day.

His parents wanted to give him the world, let him be what he wanted if it made him happy. Yet they couldn’t, they needed to think about their Kingdom and people, about what they were supposed to guard. Everyone made their sacrifices here, and he might have to as well.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Gothel reached the final steps over the stairway, opening up the hatch above her, leading her to the main room. Immediately, she saw her two children sitting around on the floor, sharing a book. But her presence caused them both to jump to their feet and dash towards her. How tiring it was.

“Mother!” Rapunzel chirped, reaching her side first.

Rubbing her forehead, Gothel rested her basket of goodies on the nearby bench. “Quiet, Flower. I have the biggest headache.”

The little girl tilted her head, looking over their mother. Her black hair was now becoming an ashy grey, wrinkles covering her face and eyes faded. She could see that her magic of life was wearing off. 

“Oh, can I make it better?” The Sundrop grinned at the offer, wanting to do anything to make her mother happy.

Gothel perked up at that, a haughty smirk on her lips. “Thought you’d never ask.”

At that response, both Rapunzel and Cassandra darted off in two directions. The oldest moved their mother’s chair into place, right in front of the fire, while the youngest ran off to get her hairbrush. 

Brushing the sides of her red dress, Gothel shuffled over to her seat and took her time to sit down and get comfortable. Cass watched her mother, hoping to be acknowledged. But when Rapunzel made her way back, hairbrush in hand, all of Gothel’s attention was taken. 

Handing her the brush, the magical child spun around and rested on her knees. Closing her eyes, she waited until she felt Gothel touching her hair. 

Parting her lips, she began to sing the healing incantation. “Flower gleam and glow.” She sang, her young yet heavenly voice echoing through the tower.

Cass rested against the armrest of the mother’s chair, watching as she relaxed. Even if she wasn’t affected by the magic, the song and warm light radiating from her sister calmed her. 

Her sun-blessed hair twirled, as if dancing to the music. Part of it curled around Gothel’s fingers and wrists, life magic beginning to flood into the woman. With every word, the glowing became brighter and brighter.

Gothel felt herself relax, feeling her youth return to her, despite the unnatural means. She was beautiful again, that’s all that matters to her.

“What once was mine.” Rapunzel hummed out the last lines, opening her eyes again.

Her bright luminous glow calmed itself, returning to its natural shine. Her hair released Gothel, going back to their regular hovering. The young girl straightened, turning her head over her shoulders to see her mother was young again.

Brushing a hand through her hair, Gothel settled the brush on her lap. “Ah, much better.”

Seeing that she pleased her mother, Rapunzel twisted around as she jumped to her feet. Cassandra joined her side, giving her a warm smile. 

Looking at her big sister, she remembered something from before. “Cass said you’d be making hazelnut soup tonight!” The youngest blurted out suddenly.

Raising a brow, the older woman sat up in her chair. “No shouting, but she’s correct. So I better get on that.” Gripping the armrests, she lifted herself onto her feet.

As she strolled past her two daughters, she gave Rapunzel a fond stroke across her head, fingers gently sliding through her mythical hair. The little girl was beaming from the small interaction, flicking around to Cassandra. But her grin fell when she saw her sister looking away, hurt glimmering in her eyes. Gothel still hasn’t said anything to her, nor show any affection. 

Not feeling right about it, Rapunzel looked back to the spot they had been reading from before. Her feet patted against the brick floor as she skipped over, grabbing her birthday present from Cassandra, as she had left it by the book.

Turning, she rushed over to the open kitchen, seeing her mother placing out the ingredients. Cassandra joined her side, giving her sister a quizzical look. 

“Did you wanna see what Cass got me?” Rapunzel grinned with hope.

Gothel didn’t even look up, tapping her fingers as she tried to remember the first step to the recipe. “Maybe later…”

Eyes widening and her grin faltering, she looked to Cassandra. The poor girl looked so deflated, rubbing her arm as she turned and began walking away. Holding the candle close, Rapunzel briefly looked back at their mother before following her big sister. 

Joining Cass’s side, she nudged her lightly. “Hey, Pascal liked it.”

The oldest looked over, managing to give a tiny smile. She was at least happy that no matter what, Rapunzel would do whatever she could to try and cheer her up. Besides, it’s not like she isn’t used to her mother’s dismissal. 

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Later that night, when everyone was supposed to be asleep, Rapunzel found her way out of her room without making a sound. Pascal was on her shoulder, curled up against her neck. Both of them had been waiting all day for this moment. Cassandra was supposed to join them, but she told them to do it without her as she wasn’t in the mood tonight. As much as it hurt them, they respected her wishes and left her to sleep. 

Tiptoeing down the stairs, both remained as quiet as possible. Rapunzel’s glowing hair and body was an issue, but they used a blanket to try and cover most of her, enough at least that the light didn’t bother Gothel as they passed her bedroom. On the plus side, they didn’t need to fear crashing into anything during the night because they couldn’t see it.

Making their way to the large windows, Rapunzel pushed the wooden covers out of the way, allowing the night sky to paint their sight. Settling on the windowsill, the little girl felt Pascal crawl off her shoulders and hop onto the flat surface, letting out a tiny squeak.

She giggled as he smiled up at her, their eyes slowly turning to the outside world. They were right on time, as they began to see little light begin to appear. At first, it was always one, then another would follow, then another, until they swarmed the sky. 

“Just look at them.” Rapunzel hummed, resting her cheeks against her hands.

Pascal cooed, mouth open in amazement. This had been the second time he’d seen them, having entered her life last year. The little girl gently brushed the top of his head with affection. 

Young eyes filled with wonder, she questioned herself what they were and why they always happened on her birthday. Were they for her? Or someone else? It’s not like she would be the only one to have a birthday today. But something in her kept telling her that they were for her, that they meant something.

“I know they’re not stars, I just know it.” She yawned, rubbing her eyes as she rested the side of her face on the wooden surface.

Pascal chirped, sliding over to her and curling up against her face. She let out a faint laugh, her eyelids flickering shut as sleep washed over her. The glowing across her body faded a little, and her hair settled across the ground behind her.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Back at the Dark Kingdom, Quirin was tucking a certain someone into his bed. It had been a long day, that had ended on a decent note. He smiled lightly when he could see the boy’s new gifts in the corner of his eyes, stacked up against the wall. 

Varian curled against the blankets, rubbing his face against his pillow. He had relaxed since they left the throne room, but there was something tugging at him. His ghostly eyes looked to the man as he lifted his head a little.

“I’m sorry about today…” He murmured, a glint of shame in his voice.

The Brotherhood member looked over to face the boy, his demeanour softening even more. “I’d ask you to take better care of yourself, but you’re only four. And naturally curious.”

Rolling onto his back, the birthday boy tilted his head. “Is Eugene in trouble?”

Quirin thought back to the argument, the words thrown around between parents and son. It wasn’t a pleasant sight to watch, despite what Hector would say. He could see the points on both sides, but he himself was more likely to back up the crown, because of loyalties and agreeing with what they do.

But maybe a part of him did because of a deep protection he had over the boy. He had grown to care for Varian, taking on a role he never thought he would have. He knew he never wanted to see the boy harmed, so he was willing to keep him here where it was safe, despite how caging it must feel.

“That’s up to his parents, not us.” He finally tucked in the last bits of the blanket around the boy.

The Moonstone nodded to the answer, resting his head to look up at the roof. He knew tomorrow was going to be awkward, as Eugene would be silent or vanish to cool off somewhere. Varian would probably leave the prince alone for a while, give him the space he needed.

Quirin brushed a soothing hand through the child’s moonlight hair. “Do you need anything else, Varian?”

Looking at the man, the Moonstone shook his head. He yawned a little and felt sleep tugging at him. Seeing the boy was about to drift off any moment, he gave one last warming smile and stood, his armour clanking a little. 

Before he left the room, he heard the boy’s voice echo a little, speaking as he fell asleep.

“Night…” Varian hummed.

With a grip on the open door, Quirin looked back. “Sleep well.” He uttered, before sliding through the door and vanished.

With the only light source being Varian’s own magic and the moon peeking through his window, he found himself falling to a dream.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Rapunzel fluttered her eyes open. She felt...strange? She had fallen asleep only a moment ago, yet suddenly felt so energised and awake. There was also the fact that she wasn’t in the main room, or anywhere she recognised for that matter.

Blinking, she realised she was on her back. Gasping a little, she jolted up, her hair flickering in defence. But she saw no danger, in fact, she didn’t know what she was looking out. It was like she was an endless silver room, shining white fog everywhere. Waving an arm out, the mist flew around her, disturbed by her presence. 

Nervous, she hugged her arms and pulled herself on her feet. She wasn’t home, she wasn’t supposed to leave the tower, so what happened?

“Hello?” She tried calling out, but no one responded. Yet her voice had a haunting echo to it. 

Taking a deep breath, she began to move forward, looking around for anything. As she ventured, she began to realise something. This place felt familiar, for whatever reason. But she doesn’t recognise it, given she only knows the tower. 

A part of her told her to settle, that nothing would harm her here and that this place was good. But the other part warned her, her mother’s words of how dangerous the world is haunted her. She was conflicted on how to feel.

“Where am I?” Rapunzel openly wondered, eyes searching the fog.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t looking low enough, the fog hiding something. A small figure bumped into her, causing her to jump back. Her markings and hair shined brightly for a moment, as if reacting to something. And something in the mist shined back, making her freeze.

“Woah!” A voice piped up, younger than hers.

“Sorry!” She instantly sputtered, not sure why she apologised.

Seems the other person wasn’t expecting a response, shuffling back a little. Rapunzel thought to run, while she had the chance, and yet something glued her there. Squinting, she leaned in a little, trying to look through the seemingly magical mist.

As if it read her thoughts, it began to part away, revealing the mysterious figure. To her surprise, it was a young boy, one who strikingly held similar features to her. Lustrous hair that moved, shining freckles and markings on his face, magic glimmering through their spiritual eyes and an outfit crafted through unnatural means. But he was also the opposite in many ways. Cold blue and midnight black as his colour scheme, much shorter hair that was fluffed up and his outfit was made of dangerous-looking rocks.

The young boy stepped back a little, surprised to be suddenly revealed. “Um...who are you?”

Rapunzel pouted a little, still very nervous. “I was gonna ask the same thing.”

The child in blue paused, tilting his head. He could sense she was scared somehow, as if he was reading her emotions like an open book. Which did allow him to know she meant no harm, as long as he didn’t try anything. Besides, his curiosity was getting the better of him, so cooperating might give him answers. 

“Well...I’m Varian.” He offered, tilting his chin up a little.

The girl paused at the name. She didn’t recognise it, nor did Cassandra or Gothel mention a name like that. 

“You?” he encouraged her, waving a hand lightly.

Biting her lip, she supposed it would be rude not to say anything. “Rapunzel.”

“That’s a pretty name.” Varian said, with an innocent smile.

Now she too was sensing his emotions. He seemed a little eager to understand what was going on, a child-like wonder behind those eyes. It made her finally relax, for now she knew this boy meant no harm.

“Thank you.” She gave a soft giggle, bowing her head a little in respect.

Seeing as that was out of the way, Varian looked around. “Do you know what this place is?”

Perxpeled just as much, she answered honestly.“No, but it feels familiar.” She rubbed her arm, gazing around with him.

“Ya, me too.” He hummed, shuffling forward a bit.

When he got a little closer, she felt the magic in him. Something about it struck her, like she knew it, her own magic reaching out towards him. Squinting her eyes in confusion, she stepped forward too.

“Though, you also feel familiar.” She thought out loud.

That caught his attention, his eyes snapping back at her. Now he was feeling the pulling sense as well. A part of him begging to get closer, reaching out to the strange girl.

Both of them found themselves being guided by this urge, shuffling forward and reaching out a hand. Before they touch, they did hesitant, before taking each other’s hand. The moment they made contact, their magic burst with energy, illuminating them brightly. Rapunzel’s hair struck out with a jolt, before eagerly flowing around the boy, stroking him a little. He watched with curiosity at how their powers were responding. 

Then there was a flicker in both their minds, a faint feeling and memory lighting up, only for a moment. But it was enough to answer one of their questions.

Feeling his breathing lost for a moment, Varian whispered. “You’re...the Sundrop?”

Rapunzel’s eyes widened more and more, leaning in a little with the same realisation. “And that makes you the Moonstone.”

Swallowing, the boy gave the slightest of nods. “Does that mean we’re…”

She cut him off, her arms wrapping around him and lifting him. He stiffened, surprised by her ecstatic energy and joy. She spun them around, laughing to herself.

“Siblings!” She resounded, her hair reacting to her happiness by dancing around in the air.

That word made Varian settle. She was his sister, the Sundrop from the stories everyone told him about. He knew he was safe, and so he laughed with her, hugging back.

“I have a baby brother!” She squeezed him one final time, before placing him back down.

He needed a moment, having been a little dazed from the spinning and excitement. He then felt her brushing a hand across his hair, surprised at how poofy and soft it was. He felt himself relax to her touch, her contact feeling so natural to him now.

“Mother said you existed, but she also said she didn’t know where you are.” She pulled her hand back, looking over her newly discovered sibling.

Frowning lightly, he replied. “Huh, my caretakers said the same. But I live in the Dark Kingdom.” He shrugged indifferently, tilting his head.

Biting her lip, she glanced away. “I don’t know where I am, but it’s safe.” She looked back, offering a reassuring smile.

That made him pause. How could she not know where she was? He had learned that she was stolen years ago, and that they never caught whoever did it, but surely Rapunzel must know what happened.

But he didn’t get to question her, as a look of dread crossed her face. He stepped back a little, not sure what caused such a shift in emotions.

“Oh, but I’m going to be in trouble. Mother said we aren’t supposed to be near each other.” She panicked, fingers covering her lips as she stepped back a little.

He faltered, looking away as a sad expression appeared on his face. “My people say the same thing.”

But, he was smart, and when he thought about it, an idea came to him. Looking around at this magical void they were in, he now knew they must be connected with it. Perhaps a mental world they could access. It made sense, they were magical siblings after all.

He smirked lightly, twirling a hand around. “Though, technically, I don’t think we are near each other.”

She looked back at him, her panic subsiding as he talked. He seemed quite confident with his words, so maybe he was right.

He gestured out to the realm they were in. “Maybe this is a magical thing, telepathic and such.”

“Communicating in dreams.” She whispered out, eyes widening in realisation that she must still be asleep. 

“So, we’re not doing anything wrong if we just do this.” He grinned, a clever look in his eyes.

Her eyes looked side to side, before leaning in. “So, what’s the Dark Kingdom like?”

And the two spent the night asking questions, telling stories of what their life entailed so far, with no fear of anyone trying to tear them apart. 


End file.
